Through It All
by MikennaPorter
Summary: Sometimes in life there are times when you need a friend to pick you up. Sometimes though, those are the hardest moments to ask for it. This is the sequel to We're All In This Together. Disclaimer: I don't own high school musical, I just own my original characters :)
1. Chapter 1

**_If you haven't read my first story, you may want to check it out! Either way is fine, I hope that you enjoy the sequel to We're All In This Together :)_**

* * *

 **Chapter One: Graduations and Reunions**

It's hard to believe that, I am at my college graduation. It feels like just yesterday, I was walking across the stage to receive my high school diploma, and now I have a college degree. The past four years have flown by, it is hard to believe that today I am graduating from Stanford. It is so exciting, and the best part is I made it into medical school. I was concerned that I wouldn't make it. Medical school is so hard to get into. I am so excited for what is ahead! I am sitting in the seats beside those that I entered my freshmen year at Stanford with. Some of them, I became close friends with, while others, well let's just say we never even got the chance to form a relationship. It is hard to though, especially with someone who isn't in your major. Anyhow, I will be so happy when I get my diploma, because it then means I am done, but I still have long, long, long road ahead of me, with medical school on my horizon. It is so exciting, yet scary, at the same time. After a few minutes the commencement ceremony begins. I am thankful that while I was in the top of my class, I wasn't number one. This took all of the pressure off, and made me feel less stressed out then I was four years ago when I graduated from high school. I feel more relaxed right now, and that is such a relief. The ceremony is so formal and long. I am glad when I am called to walk across the stage and receive my diploma. Then it seems to go by a little bit faster.  
Once the ceremony is over, I look around the auditorium for my family, at first I don't see them anywhere, but then I spot Chris. He comes over to me with a huge smile on his face. He then gives me a hug.

"Congrats, Stanford graduate." He says.

"Thanks." I say. "I still feel bad that I missed your graduation, but I had finals that week."

"It's alright, no sweat, and besides it was really boring anyhow." He says. "You didn't miss much."

"Ok." I say. "I'm glad that you were able to come."

"Me too." He says. "It was fun. Especially since your little sister had the hardest time sitting still."

"That's Brie for you." I say.

"She's a sweet heart, but I still don't know who she takes after." He says. "She's so hyper."

"Well, she's also four." I say.

"True." He says. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you." I say. "I'm proud of you too."

"Guess what, I found a job." He says.

"Already?" I ask.

"Yeah, you know how I changed my mind and decided to major in English." He says. "Well, the English teacher at East High just retired, and my dad told me about the open position so I applied and got the job!"

"That's awesome." I say.

"And not only that, I also was asked to coach basketball." He says.

"That is awesome." I say.

"Right now, I would just be an assistant coach." He says.

"So, that is still great." I say.

"And I like the fact that you are attending a medical school thirty minutes from East High." He says.

"I know that you do." I say. "I didn't want to be without you for any longer."

"You have no idea how much I missed you." He says.

"I missed you more." I say. Brie then runs over to me.

"Sissy." She says.

"Hey, cutie." I say. I then pick her up. "I missed you so much, while I was at school."

"Me too." She says.

"But, we have all summer to be with each other, and we will have so much fun." I say.

"What about me?" Chris asks.

"You'll have to get with my secretary and see if she can pencil you in." I say with a smile. He pretends to pout, and then I kiss him on the cheek. "Where's dad?" I ask Brie.

"I don't know." She says as she shrugs her shoulders.

"Of course you don't." I say with a smile. I then put her down and I see Zach walking over toward us.

"There you are." Zach says. "I've been looking all over for you." He the scoops Brie up in his arms and tickles her. "You have no idea how much I missed you."

"I've missed you all so much." I say. "It was weird having quietness in my dorm, when I wasn't away on break."

"I can imagine." He says. "The noise level hasn't changed much at home."

"I can imagine." I say. "Especially with this little bugger."

"Hey man, did you lose your little sister?" Chris asks.

"Yeah, good grief, that kid is fast." Zach says. "Especially when she is after something that she wants. But at least she found you, I thought that she got kidnapped."

"Remind me to never let you babysit my kids." I say with a laugh.

"So how does it feel to be done?" He asks.

"Pretty good." I say. "But I still have four more years ahead of me."

"That's right, we will probably be graduating from college about the same time." He says.

"I know, and that is going to be pretty exciting." I say. "So have you decided what you are doing?"

"Not yet, I have some options but I still haven't committed to anywhere just yet." He says.

"Well, you better decide sooner rather than later." I say.

"I know, that is what mom keeps telling me over and over again." He says.

"It is a tough decision to have to make." Chris says. "I couldn't decide until almost a week before graduation."

"Wow." Zach says. "I don't feel so bad then."

"Well, you haven't decided just yet." I say.

"I know." Zach says. "But I have it narrowed down to two options."

"That's good." I say. "I'm sure that whatever decision you make, it will be the best one for you."

"Thanks." Zach says. My parents and their friends finally make their way over to us.

"Congratulations." My grandma says. "We're so proud of you."

"Thanks." I say as I give her a hug. The same thing happens with everyone else. I then see Connor, and he comes over to me. I then set Brie down and get on his level and he gives me a hug. "Hey, buddy."

"Hey, sissy." He says. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." I say.

"I'm glad that you are home." He says.

"I am too." I say. After a little while, we all are standing around talking. Chris then takes me by the hand, and leads me outside.

"What are we doing out here?" I ask.

"I just thought that you would rather spend some time alone, just the two of us." He says.

"It is nice." I say. I then look around, the courtyard is beautiful, especially at night when it is lit up with just the perfect amount of lighting.

"I'm so glad that you are finally going to be back home for good, instead of just a couple of weeks or months here and there." He says.

"I am too." I say.

"I thought that it was going to be hard to be without you, but I found out that absence really does make the heart grow fonder." He says.

"I did too." I say. He then kisses me, and it isn't like the normal kisses that we have shared before. It is filled with more passion, and I thoroughly am enjoying it. After a few moments we release. "We should probably go back inside."

"Do we have to?" He asks.

"As much as I want to say no, we need to come inside." I say. "We're being way too selfish."

"Alright, if you insist." He says. He then steals a quick kiss and we go back inside. The rest of the night, we celebrate both mine and Chris' graduation. We have a really good time, but I know that the drive home tomorrow is going to be long and boring.

The next day, we leave to head back home. Chris and I ride home together in my car so that we can spend some more time together. "So, what are your plans for the summer?" I ask.

"I am helping out at the school until school gets out at the end of the month." He says. "What about you?"

"I'm not sure yet." I say. "I'm going to try to get a job, just for the summer so that I can get a little bit of money."

"I'm sure that you will find something." He says. "And maybe you could sub at East High."

"That's a good idea." I say.

"Great, I'll get you put on the list." He says.

"Then, maybe we will see each other some." I say.

"But don't worry, I'll definitely have some time to spend with my girl." He says.

"I'm sure that you will." I say.

"So was Stanford really as great as you made it out to be?" He asks.

"Yes, of course it was." I say. "It would have been better if you had been there with me."

"I'm sure that it would have." He says. "It was really hard going to U of A without you, but I knew that you were happy and that helped me to keep from missing you."

"That is very sweet of you." I say.

"I'm going to let you in on something." He says. "You were the first girl that I have ever loved."

"Really?" I ask. "I thought that you really liked Elizabeth Elliot?"

"I thought that I did, she was a my first girl friend, but time changes those feelings." He says. "In fact I ran into her while in college, she still hadn't gotten over me, we ended up hanging out, and I think that she may have thought that it was a date. Isn't that funny?"

"She really did like you." I say.

"I know, and I was going to try to be friends with her, but all she wanted was to get back together with me." He says. "Even after I had told her that I was with you she just said that you wouldn't find out if we were together. I told her that I wouldn't want to cheat on you with anyone. I told her that I was cool with us being friends, but that I was in love with you."

"That is very sweet." I say.

"Well, its the truth." He says.

"My theory is that Elizabeth is lonely." I say. "I know that she dated another guy once you both broke up, but she told me that there was something different about you than she had seen in any other guy."

"Well, among all of the girls I have dated I have to say that I like you much better." He says.

"And I wish that I could say the same, but you are the only guy that I have ever dated." I say.

"Well, I feel honored that you waited for me." He says.

"I'm glad that you do." I say. "It wasn't hard to wait."

"Yeah right, and to think you could have dated any guy back in high school that you wanted." He says.

"But I choose you." I say. "Because you aren't like every other guy,you are special."

"Stop, you're going to make me blush." He says.

"Well, it's the truth." I say. We continue to talk for a while, and after a little while, I fall asleep. We really do make a good team, or at least I think so. I really do love him, and I see him in my future. He means so much to me. He's my best friend.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Getting used to the way things are**

The next couple of days go by at lightning speed. It feels good to be home, but it is hard to get back into the groove of things. Everyone has changed so much. I almost feel like a stranger. It seems really weird. It is Monday morning and I wake up at the crack of dawn. This is most likely due to the fact that I am still used to having to get up early for school. I then pull my hair into a ponytail and walk down the aroma of freshly brewed coffee floods through the air. I then go into the kitchen and see my mom. She is sitting at the bar enjoying a cup of coffee. I then go over to the coffee maker and pour myself a cup of coffee and sit down beside her.

"Good morning." She says.

"Good morning." I say.

"I'm surprised that you got up so early." She says. "Not that it is a problem."

"My body is still used to getting up early for my eight o'clock classes." I say.

"I'm sure that eventually you will get used to a different time schedule." She says as she takes a sip of her coffee. "But I wouldn't mind the company in the morning."

"Where's dad?" I ask.

"He's still asleep." She says.

"Oh, I'm surprised." I say.

"Well it is only six thirty." She says.

"I thought that it was later." I say.

"That happens sometimes." She says. "So what are your plans for the day?"

"I'm not sure yet." I say.

"Well, I was thinking that the two us could spend some time together." She says.

"But don't you have to work?" I ask.

"I had taken the day off already." She says. "And besides, I wanted to catch up with my daughter."

"I would love to spend the day with you." I say.

"Perfect, I have a lot of things planned for us to do." She says. "Now how about you go get dressed."

"Ok, but what do I need to put on?" I ask.

"Anything is fine." She says. "Just wear whatever you want to wear."

"Ok." I say. I then go upstairs to my room and start getting ready. I start by putting on some makeup. I then find a cute outfit to put on. I then gently pull my hair out of the ponytail, and leave my hair as it is naturally. I then put in a pair of earrings and then put on a pair of sandals and am ready to go. I then go downstairs and see that the rest of my family finally has gotten up. Brie notices me first and motions for me to sit beside her

"Are you going to go to school with me?" She asks.

"I wish, Brie, but I can't go to school with you." I say.

"Sure you can." She says.

"Brie, she has other things that she has to do." Dad says. "But I'm sure that she will spend some time with you when you get out of school."

"Promise?" She asks.

"I will do my best." I say.

"Ok." She says.

"Don't worry, I am planning on spending a lot of time with you." I say. "Maybe we can have a tea party sometime."

"Yay." She says. "Tonight?"

"I don't know about that one, but we'll have to see." I say.

"Ok." She says. I then grab some breakfast and another cup of coffee. After a little while, everyone else has left except for my mom and I.

"So, what's the plan?" I ask.

"You'll just have to wait and see." She says. She then grabs her purse and keys and we leave. After some time, we pull into a parking lot. We walk into a nail salon first and get manicures and pedicures.

"This was very sweet of you to take time off of work so that you could spend some time with me." I say.

"You're welcome." She says. "I have always enjoyed spending time with you."

"Me too." I say.

"So, how are things going with you and Chris?" She asks.

"Pretty good." I say. "I thought that it was going to be very hard to be so far away from each other, but I think that it actually made things better for us."

"That's good." She says. "Do you think that he's the one?"

"I don't know." I say. "I could see us together."

"I can see you both together as well." She says. "You both make a very cute couple." I just a little while, we leave and go grab some then spend the rest of the day shopping and catching up with one another. It is good to have some girl time. A few hours go by, and we are at home. Brie and Connor are home with us as well.

"Sissy, could we have a tea party now?" Brie asks.

"Sure." I say. She then runs off and grabs some dress up clothes. She comes back with a dress and high heels on. She also has on a tiara. She then hands me a tiara to wear. I then put it on my head. Then I set up the tea things, and put apple juice in the pot, since Brie doesn't like actual tea. We then sit down at the table.

"Did you have a good day at school?" I ask.

"Yes." She says. I then pour her a cup of "tea" and place it in front of her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." I say. We both then sit there and talk for a little while. She really has grown up since Christmas, when I last saw her. She is turning into a mini adult, and it is sort of adorable. After a little while, our girl time is interrupted. Chris comes into the room, and tries to sit down.

"No, this is for girls only." Brie says.

"Come on." He says. "I thought that we were friends, Brie."

"We are, but you are a boy, and this is a girl thing." She says.

"Brie, it's alright." I say.

"Ok, fine." She says.

"Wow, she's gotten a little bit sassy." Chris says. "I guess that she takes after her older sister." I then smack him, but it wasn't really all that hard. He pretends that it hurt. "Brie, your sister is mean."

"No she isn't." She says. "You deserved it." All that I can do is laugh.

"Wow, some friends you both are." He says.

"You know that I love you, right?" I say.

"Yes, of course I do." He says. He then leans in to kiss me, I stop him though. "What?"  
"There's a four year old in the room." I say.

"So, I bet your parents kiss in front of her all the time." He says. He then tries again. I am hesitant, but I let him kiss me. It's just a quick one though.

"Ok, that's enough." She says. Chris and I both laugh. "You two are gross."

"I'm sorry, I tried to tell him." I say. She then giggles. Chris then tickles her, making her giggle more. "Be careful, she might pee on you."

"No she won't." He says. He continues to tickle her and she laughs even harder.

"I'm being serious." I say.

"Alright, I'll stop." He says.

"Thank you." I say. "Alright, Brie how about we clean up the tea party things."

"Ok." She says. She then picks up the cups and the pot and puts it on the counter so that it can be washed.

"Nice crown." Chris says to me.

"Oh, this thing?" I ask. "Brie wanted me to wear it." I then start to take it off.

"I sort of liked it." He says.

"Really?" I ask.

"No, I was kidding." He says. "But if you want to wear it, go ahead."

"Nah, I'll just go ahead and take it off." I say. I then take the tiara off and place it on the table. Brie then comes back into the room. "Hey, cutie."

"Do you guys want to color?" She asks.

"Not right now." Chris says.

"But if you want to, you can." I say.

"Ok." She says. She then goes back to her room.

"So, did you spend a lot of time with Brie while I was away?" I ask.

"Some what." He says. "I was usually over here, because your brothers wanted an extra person to play basketball with."

"Well, I'm glad that you didn't mind." I say.

"It's no trouble at all." He says. "You should see how well Zach plays."

"I'm sure that I will at some point." I say. "I saw potential in him before I left, and I've played a couple of pick up games with him but it's been a while."

"Well, I honestly think that he is stiff competition." He says. "I know that he has offers to several colleges for basketball."

"That's awesome." I say. "He never told me about that."

"He's too modest." He says.

"I know, but normally he tells me things like this." I say.

"He probably will, just give him a couple of days." He says. "I know that he was really excited when he found out."

"I am so proud of him." I say.

"You should be." He says. "He's amazing."

"Yeah, he really is." I say.

"Well, I need to run." He says.

"You don't have to leave." I say.

"I have to get some lesson plans together, since technically I am the one teaching." He says. "The teacher didn't leave me anything."

"Well, if you need any help just let me know." I say.

"Will do." He says. "Maybe tomorrow, you could join me for lunch."

"I would love to." I say. "Just let me know the details."

"Will do." He says. "See you tomorrow then."

"Alright." I say. I then walk with him to the door. "Bye, Chris."

"Bye, Jess." He says. He then steals a quick kiss from me before he leaves. I really am glad that we started dating four years ago. I couldn't imagine my life being any different. He makes me happy, and I hope that I do the same for him. He is very important to me.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry it took so long to update! I hope that you are enjoying the story so far. If you're a bit confused about the characters you can check out 'We're All In This Together'. I hope that you all have a wonderful day. Also feel free to give me feedback from my story, I am curious as to what your opinions are. So let me know!

* * *

 **Chapter Three: Back To Normal**

I wake up, and glance at my clock. It says eleven o'clock. I can't believe I slept in that late. I have just been so tired that I guess I needed the extra bit of sleep. I then get up, and I walk downstairs. I then put on a pot of coffee. While waiting, I see a note on the counter. I instantly realize that it is my mom's handwriting.

 _Dear Jess, Good morning sweet heart, I thought that I would get a chance to see you before I left for work, but I guess that you needed some sleep. If you need anything don't hesitate to call me. I love you sweetie!_  
 _Mom._

That was very sweet of her, I think to myself. I then pour myself a cup of coffee and go into the living room and sit down. I then turn the television on and watch it for a little while. Once I have gotten comfortable I hear the phone ring. It is my little sister's school. I then pick up the phone.

"Hello." I say.

"Hey, this is Mrs. Phillips from East High preschool." She says. "Am I speaking with Mrs. Bolton?"

"No, actually I'm her daughter Jessica." I say.

"Oh, well I'm calling because we couldn't get in touch with either one of your parents, and your little sister Brie is sick." She says. "She threw up and so would you be available to pick her up."

"I will be there within an hour." I say. "And would it be alright, if I just went ahead and picked up Connor as well?"

"That will be fine." She says. "I'll have them ready for you."

"Alright, sounds good." I say. I then hang up and go upstairs and change out of my pajamas and then drive over to the school. When I arrive at the school I walk inside and see Brie sitting in the front office. She looks pitiful.

"Hey, you must be Jessica." A strawberry blonde haired lady says.

"Yes ma'am." I say. "I'm here to pick up Brie and Connor."

"Alright." She says. "Well here's Brie, and I'll go and get Connor for you."

"Thank you." I say. I then walk over to Brie. "Hey, do you feel yucky?"

"Uh, huh." She says. "I want to go home."

"We are, I'm just waiting on Connor." I say.

"Ok." She says.

I then pick her up, and then put her backpack on me. After a few minutes Connor comes barreling towards me.

"Hey, slow down little man." I say.

"Hey sissy." He says. He then gives me a hug.

"Alright, so do I need to sign anything?" I ask.

"No, we took care of it all for you." The lady says.

"Thank you. Alright, well I hope that you have a good day." I say.

We then leave and get into my car and head on home. Once we get to the house, I carry Brie in and put her in her room. I then set a movie up for Connor. The rest of the day is rather uneventful. I don't get hardly anything done, and all that I want to do is go to sleep. After a little while, I go into Brie's room and check on her.

"You ok?" I ask. She just lies there. "Still feel yucky?" She nods her head for yes. "How about I check your temperature? I'll be right back." I then go into my bathroom and grab the thermometer. I then come back into Brie's bedroom and gently place the thermometer up to her head. When I hear the beep, I take a look at it. It says 100.5, that isn't good I think to myself. "Sissy, is going to go get you some medicine." She gives me a look like she doesn't want to. "Brie, it will make you feel better, I promise." I then walk off and grab some Tylenol to reduce her fever. I then come back into her room and give it to her. I know that she doesn't like taking medicine, but it seemed like the best option. I don't want for her to get worse than she is, or at least I want her to feel better soon. I then leave her alone, and go downstairs. Once I get down the stairs, my mom comes in the door.

"I'm so sorry that I couldn't get Brie." She says.

"It's fine." I say. "I've been taking good care of her for you."

"Thank you." She says. "Where is she?"

"She's in her room." I say. "She hasn't thrown up anymore, but still doesn't feel well and has a fever. Don't worry though, I gave her some Tylenol and that should bring the fever down."

"You are awesome." She says. "I'm going to go check on her."

"Ok." I say. After a little while, I go upstairs and crawl into my bed. I don't know why, but I've been so tired lately and to be honest really haven't felt that well. A few hours later, I go downstairs and that my family is watching a movie together. They look like they are having a good time. I then walk into the room and sit down beside my mom.

"Hey, if you are hungry we got pizza and there is some in the fridge." She says.

"Thanks." I say.

"I was going to wake you, but you looked so peaceful." She says.

"That's alright." I say.

"Are you alright?" She asks.

"Yeah." I say. "I've just been tired today."

"It happens sometimes." She says. I then sit there and watch the movie with them. I really am enjoying spending time with my family, and being home really is nice.

* * *

The next morning, I wake up and grab a cup of coffee. I then glance at my phone and see that I have a text from Chris. It says: _Hey I was thinking that we could hang out this afternoon :)_ That was so sweet of him I think to myself. I then send back: _I wish that I could, but I have to watch Brie she's sick. Can I take a rain check?_ I hope that he doesn't get mad at me, but I really can't do anything about it. I then notice that he sent a text back. _That's fine, we can hang out later, no worries :)_

Once I get done texting Chris, I go upstairs to check on Brie. "Hey, cutie." I say. "Are you feeling better?"

"Sort of." She says. "I still feel yucky."

"Do you want to watch a movie?" I ask.

"Yes." She says. We then go downstairs and I put in one of her favorite movies, and we watch it together. While we are watching the movie, I see her starting to perk up. This of course makes me very happy.

When the movie is over, I go and make us a snack. "Do you want to try to eat?" I ask. She nods her head for yes. I then hand her a snack.

"Thank you." She says.

"You're welcome." I say. I then hear the doorbell ring. "I wonder who that could be?" I then go to the door and open it. I then see Chris. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I thought since you couldn't hang out, I would come over here." He says.

"That was very sweet of you." I say. "Come on in."

"How's Brie?" He asks.

"She'll be alright, she has a virus." I say.

"Oh, poor thing." He says.

"Yeah." I say. "I think that she's starting to feel better though."

"Well, that's good." He says.

"I thought that you had to work." I say.

"I was at work." He says. "I'm on my lunch break."

"Oh, if I had known I would have fixed you something." I say.

"I actually brought us lunch." He says. "I'll go get it out of my car."

"Alright." I say.

"I'll be right back." He says. He then goes out to his car and gets some food. After a few minutes he comes back inside.

"You are so sweet." I say.

"Well, I try to be." He says. "I didn't get anything for Brie, I wasn't sure if she would eat anything."

"She hasn't really ate anything." I say. "And she just had a snack."

"Ok, now I don't feel so bad." He says. He then walks over to Brie. "Hey, cutie."

"Hey." She says.

"Still feel yucky?" He asks.

"Uh huh." She says.

"Well, hopefully you'll feel better soon." He says.

"I'm glad that you came over." I say.

"Well, I wanted to spend a little time with you." He says.

"So hows work going?" I ask.

"Great." He says. "I love it so much."

"That's awesome." I say. "I'm sure that you will make a great teacher."

"Let's hope so." He says. We then continue to talk for a little while, and are having a good time.

"So what time do you need to get back to the school?" I ask.

"I need to leave." He says as he is looking at his watch.

"Alright, well I'll see you later." I say. I then walk with him to the door. He then leans in and kisses me. It feels really good.

"Goodbye." He says.

"Goodbye." I say. He then leaves


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: It's All In The News**

I wake up the next morning at a normal hour. In fact, I am able to see my family before they leave for work and school.

"Jess, I hate to put you on childcare duty again, but do you mind watching Connor." Mom says "I think that he caught whatever it was that Brie had."

"I guess that I can do that." I say. I then remember that I have a doctor's appointment today. "Wait, I can't, I have a doctor's appointment at eleven."

"I didn't know that you had one." She says. "Is something wrong?"

"It's just a routine check up, nothing to worry about." I say.

"Ok, well do you mind getting someone to cover for you?" She asks.

"Yeah." I say. "I'll call grandma and see if she can watch him."

"Ok, that will be fine." She says. "I'm sorry that I needed you to watch him. I have a big case that I'm working on and can't really miss work right now."

"I understand." I say. I then walk off to call my grandma, I hope that she isn't busy. I don't really want to have to reschedule the appointment. Fortunately I am able to get in touch with her, and she says that she can watch Connor for me. In fact she said that she would watch him all day long, so that I can go do something fun. I appreciate her so much. After a little while, my family all leaves and I go get ready. I keep things simple, I pull my hair into a ponytail and put on a light amount of makeup. I then go and check on Connor, he's asleep so I leave him alone. I then walk downstairs and see that my grandma is here.

"Hey." I say as I open the door.

"Hey." She says. "So how are you?"

"I'm fine." I say.

"It stinks that you have to spend a beautiful day like today in the doctor's office." She says.

"It will be fine." I say. "Hopefully it won't take too long."

"And stay out as long as you want, I don't have anything to do today, and I want you to have a little bit of fun." She says.

"Thanks." I say. I then leave and head over to the hospital. When I walk into the office, I sign in and wait. Patience is something that I have little of, so I am secretly hoping that I won't have to wait too long. Waiting isn't something that I thoroughly enjoy doing. If I did, then that would be a different story. "Jessica Bolton." The nurse says as she walks into the room. I am so excited, even though I hate going to the doctors, I would much rather not have to wait in the waiting room. That isn't really any better.  
I then walk into a room and they check all the normal things like height and weight. We then go into a room, and I am told to wait until the doctor comes in. I am a little nervous, but maybe everything will be alright.

"Hey, Jessica right?" The doctor says as she walks into the room.

"Yes." I say.

"Ok, so I was reviewing the lab reports and records from your doctor in California." She starts with. "Well, I have some good news. You don't have mono."

"Really, the doctor was almost 100% sure." I say. "I mean with the flu like symptoms, the fatigue and weight loss that's what it seemed to point to."

"Well, everything comes back negative for mono." She says. "I do on the other hand have my own assumptions."

"And what are they?" I ask.

"I don't know for certain, but I think that it might be leukemia." She says.

"Are you sure?" I ask.

"I'm not 100%, but with more blood work it can be determined." She says. "I know that this isn't what you were wanting to hear."

"Not at all." I say. "I was about to be alright with the fact that I had mono."

"I'm sorry." She says. "But if its any consolation, I could be wrong."

"I hope so." I say.

"Anyways, I know that you probably hate being poked with needles but we are going to need to get some of your blood." She says.

"Alright." I say.

After a little bit, I have been pricked and poked with a couple of needles. Then the doctor comes back into the room.  
"I thought that you might want some information about leukemia, just in case its the worse case scenario." She says.

"Ok, thank you." I say. She then hands me a few pamphlets that tell all about leukemia. She then leaves the room. I then sit there I feel like my heart was ripped out. I can't bare this weight. It hurts knowing that I might have cancer. I don't know what to do. I don't want to scare anyone, but I don't want to keep it all to myself either. I then decide to head over to the school. My eyes show the tears that I have, because I'm scared. I try to clean up my face a little bit, and then walk inside. I go straight to my dad's office. He did the whole NBA thing for a short three seasons, but he decided that he needed to retire for good. Luckily, there was a spot open for him to coach at East High.

"Hey, what's up?" Dad asks.

"I have something that I need to tell you." I say.

"Ok." He says. I then sit down.

"So, for the past few months I have been feeling bad off and on. I thought at first that it was a cold, but it kept getting worse. I have been tired without doing anything. I thought, well maybe I'm anemic I went to the doctor and I wasn't. That lead to more and more tests. I then started noticing some bruising on my back, anyhow to make a long story short, I went to the doctor today thinking that I most likely had mono, since my doctor is California thought that it was, and the test came back negative." I say. "The bad part about all of this is this, the doctor thinks that I may possibly have leukemia." My dad just sits there for a second. He looks confused. I can also tell that he is trying not to cry.

"So, they don't know for sure?" He asks.

"No, I should be getting the results back soon." I say. "And if not, I have to come back on Monday and should get the results then."

"Have you told anyone?" He asks.

"No." I say. "I wasn't sure that it would be the best thing to do. I knew that I needed to tell someone, though."

"Ok." He says.

"And I don't want to tell anyone, I don't want to scare anyone just yet." I say.

"I completely understand, and don't worry I won't tell anyone." He says. "Not even your mom."

"Thank you." I say. "That really means a lot to me. I hated to even tell you, but I couldn't bare it all on my own."

"I'm glad that you told me." He says. "It isn't a good thing, but I want you to know that I will be here for you, no matter what." I just smile. Tears then start forming in my eyes. My dad then gets up from his desk and comes over and embraces me with a hug. We stay like this for a little while, until he gets a knock on his door.

"I probably need to go." I say.

"You don't have to." He says.

"I need to clear my head." I say.

"Ok, if you need anything call me." He says.

"I will." I say. I then walk out the door, I then almost run into the person standing at the door. "I'm so sorry."

"Jess?" Chris asks.

"I didn't know that you were here." I say.

"What are you doing here?" He asks.

"I came to talk to my dad." I say.

"Oh, well I was just about to do the same thing." He says.

"Well, I'm getting out of your way." I say.

"I am just meeting with him for a minute, maybe we could grab some coffee?" He asks.

"I need to get home, I'm supposed to be watching my little brother." I say.

"Oh, ok." He says. "I'll see you later, then?"

"Yeah." I say. I then walk off. I then go to my car and start crying. I can't hurt Chris. It isn't fair for him to be with me if I may be a ticking time bomb. Should I tell him? Should I tell him? I can't. I can't do it! I can't put him through the pain that I feel right now, he would freak out more than I am right now. I couldn't bare to put him through all of that, not right now anyways. Not when I don't know for certain, that would just be cruel. I guess that if I do indeed have cancer that I will tell him then.

I then go home, and go to my room. Luckily my grandma is still watching Connor. She ended up taking him back to her house. I then get into my bed and go to sleep. I'm hoping that this is just a horrible dream and that when I wake up I won't possibly have cancer. I wake up, and it is still the same as it was before. I guess I should start preparing myself for what could happen. I don't know how hard that it is going to be for me. I might take it better than I think I will. I guess I need to just live life as if nothing has happened, because nothing has happened yet. There is no reason to worry about it at all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: The News**

The past couple of days have gone by painfully slow. I am so scared that I am going to get the news that I don't want to hear. I would be terrified if I got that news, and how would I tell my family, how would I tell anyone for that matter? I don't know how I am going to be able to do that. I know that it would bring pain to my family, and especially to Chris.  
For the past few days, I've stayed in my room. I've tried to stay away from people. I just feel like I need to be by myself.

"Jess, you don't need to stay in your room." My dad says.

"I know, but I'm scared." I say.

"Well, doing this isn't going to help anything." He says.

"I know, but I was hoping that it would." I say.

"Look, you need to try to be happy." He says. "Everyone is wondering what is going on."

"I'll try." I say.

"And who knows, maybe the doctor is wrong." He says.

"Will you go with my to the appointment?" I ask.

"Of course I will." He says.

"Thank you." I say. We then leave my room. I go downstairs and get a bottle of water. I then feel my phone vibrate, I look at the caller ID and see that it is my doctor's office. I then answer the call. "Hello."

"Is this Jessica Bolton?" The caller asks.

"Yes." I say.

"This is doctor Parker." She says. "Would you be able to come in on Monday at ten o'clock so that we can go over your lab results?"

"Yes, I can do that." I say.

"Great." She says. "See you tomorrow then."

"Dad, that was doctor Parker, she said that I need to meet with her tomorrow at ten." I say.

"Ok, I'll go with you, if you still want for me to." He says.

"Yes." I say. The rest of the say, I spend it worrying. What if I do have cancer. Then what? What will I do then? This could turn into a matter of life or death, literally. I am so scared about what could come. I toss and turn in my sleep. I can't get a decent amount of rest due to my nerves. I am so anxious to find out. If it is cancer, at least I'll have someone that I know will be strong for me, even though it is going to hurt him to.  
That is somewhat a reassurance to me. We'll just have to see how things go. After a few hours of lying there I decide to go ahead and get up. I then go into the kitchen and make some coffee. I doubt that anyone is up yet. I then walk into the room and see my dad sitting there. I then see that there is some coffee.

"You couldn't sleep either?" He asks.

"No." I say. "I guess that I'm too nervous."

"I am too." He says. "But whatever the news is, someone will be there for you."

"And I really appreciate that." I say. We then talk for a little while. After a little bit, my mom comes into the room.

"Hey, I didn't realize that anyone was up yet." She says. "Troy do you mind taking Brie and Connor to school? I have to be at the court house early this morning for a case."

"Yeah, I can do that." He says. "And I'll try to pick them up for you as well."

"Thank you." She says. "I really need to get going. I have to go all the way to Santa Fe for this case."

"Normally you don't have to go that far." Dad says.

"I know, but the client really wanted me." She says.

"I understand." He says.

"Good." She says. "I love you."

"I love you too." He says. They then share a kiss and she leaves with a cup of coffee in one hand and her briefcase in the other. After a little while, dad and I have taken Brie and Connor to school and are at East High in my dad's office. "I've got to go have a quick meeting with the principal and I will be right back." My dad says. "You can just stay here if you want to."

"Ok." I say. I then sit in his desk chair. I feel like I am about to cry, but I'm trying ot be positive. Who knows maybe just maybe I am alright. Maybe I don't have cancer after all. Maybe the doctor's thoughts were wrong. Wait though, wouldn't the doctor have told me the results if I was alright when I got a call yesterday? Great. Just great. Jessica, snap out of it! I need to stay on the positive side of all of this. It isn't going to do me any good to sit around and worry about something if it doesn't happen. Then I will have just wasted a whole lot of time worrying. I then hear a knock on the door followed by the door opening. It is Chris standing there.

"Hey, I didn't know that you were going to be here." He says.

"I thought that I would spend some time with my dad." I say. I couldn't tell him why I was really here, he would be worried sick.

"Well, I was just about to text you." He says.

"Ok." I say.

"I was wondering if you would want to go out tonight?" He asks. "Especially since the last couple of times I have wanted to hang out, you've had to give me a rain check." I don't know what to do.

"Sure." I say.

"Alright, I'll pick you up around seven, if that's alright." He says.

"Yeah, that will work." I say. "How should I dress?"

"You could wear a dress if you want to." He says.

"Alright." I say. "I guess that I will see you tonight then."

"Yeah." He says. "Oh, where is your dad at?"

"He is in a meeting with the Principal." I say.

"Ok, thank you." He says.

"No problem." I say.

"I'll see you tonight." He says. He then leaves. Great, what in the world did I get myself into? I guess that if I do indeed have cancer that I am going to have to tell him eventually. I guess that I'll have to do it tonight. I am so scared. If the doctor tells me that I have cancer, I don't know what I will do. I am so afraid of the what if. I barely feel like I am able to function. My heart is pounding out of my chest as the time comes closer and closer. I glance at the clock and it is already nine thirty. I need to leave soon. About that time, my dad walks into the room. "Are you ready to go?" He asks. "I guess so." I say. I'm still worried, but at least I will have my dad by my side. He always seems to help me feel better when I am scared or hurt. Maybe today won't be any different. When we reach the hospital, I sit in the car. I'm scared to walk into the hospital because that means I am closer and closer to finding out the results."

"Jess, come on." Dad says. "The quicker that we get inside the quicker that we can find out that there's nothing wrong."

"What if there is though, dad?" I ask. He remains silent for a second. I guess he is pondering what to say. He is most likely terrified as well. Finally he breaks the silence.

"Well, if you do have cancer, then we will do any and everything to help you get better." He says. "But I'm hoping that you are wrong."

"Me too." I say. I then give him a hug. We then go inside the hospital and get on the elevator. My doctor is on the sixth floor so we have a little while longer before we make it to her office. My heart begins racing more and more as we start moving up. When the doors open, I can feel my palms becoming wet with perspiration. I am afraid that I will end up going into a panic attack before I get into the office. I then wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans as we walk down the hallway. The office is located in room 604 and so I know that we don't have far to go. I am panicking more and more as we reach the door. When we walk in, I sign in and take a seat. I hate waiting, especially when I am terrified of what could happen. There is no telling what this could mean. I could have good news when I leave this building, or terrible news. It is all just a matter of my results. "Jess, are you alright?" My dad asks.  
"What would make you think that I wasn't?" I ask.

"You look like you are terrified." He says.

"Try petrified." I say. "I need to get back there."

"I know." He says.

"And the longer I wait, the more terrified I become." I say.

"I know." He says. "Just try to look at things in a positive way."

"I've tried, but I can't do it anymore." I say. "I'm naturally a pessimist anyhow."

"You weren't always." He says. "You used to be the one telling me to be positive." I just smile. "You were always a little ray of sunshine and a glimmer of hope."

"I was?" I ask.

"Yeah." He says. "Where's that little girl?"

"I guess that she had a reality check and realized that everything isn't sunshine and rainbows." I say.

"Well, regardless of the results just remember you aren't alone." He says.

"I know." I say. "And I'm glad." I really am thankful that he was able to come with me. I don't think that I could bare to hear bad news alone. I don't think that I have the strength to hear awful news by myself. A lady with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes walks into the room. She has a clipboard in her hand and is wearing scrubs. I am assuming that she is a nurse based on her attire. She then glances at her clipboard once more.

"Jessica Bolton." She says. It takes me a second to register that she is referring to me. I guess that I have been out of it. My dad and I then get up and follow her through the door to an exam room. "Dr. Parker will be in here in just a moment." Waiting, great that is just what I need to calm my nerves. Waiting, followed by probably more and more waiting. Great. After what seems like an eternity, Dr. Parker walks into the room. Her demeanor is normal. She doesn't look sad, or overly happy. I guess that she is trying to not give away the news just yet. Hopefully she will soon. I need some good news in my life right now. I need to have my nerves calmed and soon or I might just go into full panic mode.

* * *

 **Next Time:** You will find out the results. Is it good or is it bad? You'll just have to wait and see.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: The Results**

I am still nervous. I can feel my heart beating out of my chest. Dr. Parker then breaks the silence.  
"Alright, Jessica I have your results." She says. "I hate to have to tell you this, but you do have leukemia." I sit there for a minute. I am stoic.

"So, what are the treatment options?" My dad asks.

"Well, I am going to refer you to Dr. Stone. He is a excellent oncologist." She says. "His office is located in this building. He specializes in leukemia so he would be able to answer all of your questions. I went ahead and took the liberty of contacting him, and he said that you could go to his office once we are done here if you would like.  
I know that this is a lot to take in, and I would love to be able to answer all of your questions. However, I don't know as much about cancer as Dr. Stone does. His office is located on the seventh floor in room 722."

"OK, thank you." Dad says. "Do you think that he could see Jess right away?"

"Yes." She says. "I just got off of the phone with him a few minutes ago."

"Ok, we will probably be heading that way once we leave your office." Dad says.

"Ok, when you guys leave I will let him know." She says. "Do you have any further questions?"

"I think that we are good." Dad says.

"And Jessica, I am really sorry to have to tell you this news." She says.

"Do you know what stage?" I ask.

"I wasn't 100% sure, but Dr. Stone is going to take a look at the results, and may run further testing to confirm what stage you are in so that you can get the best treatment options that are available to you." She says.

"Thank you." I say.

"No problem." She says. "And I think that since you are young and healthy that you will be able to get into remission soon." Dr. Parker then leaves.

"Ok, let's head upstairs and see if we can see the oncologist." My dad says.

"Ok." I say. On the way out the door, I still feel numb. I just had my worst fear confirmed. We then walk into the office. Surprisingly it isn't crowded. We then walk up to the receptionist.

"Hey, you must be Jessica Bolton." She says.

"Yes." I say.

"If you will take a seat and fill out this paper work, Dr. Stone will see you shortly." She says. She then hands me a clipboard, and my dad and I sit down.

"So, do you want for me to fill this out for you?" Dad asks. I shake my head for yes. "Ok." He then starts working on the paper work. Before he can finish we are called back to go to Dr. Stone's office.

"Hey, it is nice to meet both of you." He starts with. "Dr. Parker told me all about you, Jessica." I then sit down beside my dad.

"So, what can you tell us about the results?" Dad asks.

"Well, she does have leukemia, but from what I can tell it is just in the beginning stages." He says. "And the good thing about that is that we can do a round of chemo and hopefully it will be gone."

"So, that's all that it will be?" Dad asks.

"That's what I am thinking." He says. "But, I want to run another blood test just to make sure what stage you are in, Jessica."

"Ok." I say. "So, you both can go back to exam room 11, and one of the nurses will just take a sample of blood, and then we will come back in here and talk for a minute so that I can answer any questions that you may have." He says

"Alright." Dad says. "Thank you."

"No problem." He says. Dad and I then leave the room and go into the exam room. I then get a needle poked into my skin and they take about a pint of blood to get it tested. We are then instructed to go back into Dr. Stone's office.

"Alright, so we won't know anything until probably Wednesday." He says. "So, then we can talk about what option will be the best. So do either of you have any questions?" We then talk for a little while, and then he hands us a few pamphlets that are full of more information than we probably will ever want to know. We then leave the office and go down to my dad's car.

"So, do you want me to take you home?" Dad asks.

"Yes." I say. As soon as I get into the car, I start crying. I can't hold it in anymore.

"It's going to be alright." Dad says trying to reassure me.

"I have cancer, that's the reality." I say. "What if I die from it?"

"You are going to be fine." Dad says. "Dr. Stone talked like with just a little bit of chemo you should get rid of it."

"But what if he's wrong?" I ask.

"Jess, just take things for how they are." He says. "Don't focus on what if's, you don't need to do that to yourself."

"It's just so hard not to." I say.

"I know." He says. "How do you think that I feel? I just found out that my daughter has cancer."

"I guess that I didn't think about that." I say.

"It's fine." He says. "So, when do you want to tell your mom and siblings?"

"I guess we should tell them today." I say. "I don't want to keep it from them for too long."

"I agree, but I think that your mom should know first." He says.

"I agree." I say. "I don't want her finding out like everyone else."

"Ok, and what about all of your friends?" He asks.

"You can tell Chad or whoever, but I need to tell Chris myself." I say. "I will probably tell him tonight. We are supposed to be going on a date."

"Ok, I will make sure that whoever I tell will not tell Chris." He says.

"Thank you." I say. "I just don't want for him to hear it from someone else."

"I understand." He says.

We then pull into the driveway and I get out of the car and walk inside the house. I then go upstairs and fall asleep on my bed. When I wake up, I am hoping that this was all just a horrible dream. I soon realize that the reality is that I have cancer. What should I do now? I then go downstairs and see Zane and Caleb playing video games. I know that within the next few hours, they are going to hear some news that is going to rock their world. Most likely it will hit Zach the worst. We are very close to one another. My dad then walks through the door with Brie and Conner.  
I really am scared about telling everyone about the cancer. I then see my mom in the kitchen. I then walk over to my dad and talk to him about talking to mom.

"Gabs, could you come here for a minute?" Dad asks.

"Sure." She says. She then follows us into the office. "So what's up?"

"Jess, went to the doctor the other day and got some news." Dad starts with.

"Jess, you're not pregnant are you?" Mom asks.

"No." I say. "I have cancer."

"Wait, what?" She asks. "You have cancer? How long have you known?"

"I found out this morning.." I say.

"What kind, and what's the prognosis?" She asks.

"Leukemia." I say. "The doctor isn't sure what stage. I will probably have to go through a round or two of chemo."

"Oh, my goodness." She says. "Troy when did you find out?"

"This morning." He says. "She asked me to come with her. Her doctor thought that she might have leukemia and she didn't want to go alone. She also didn't want to scare anyone so she kept it a secret."

"Ok, so we are the only ones that know?" She asks.

"Yes." I say. "But I feel like we need to tell everyone else."

"I agree with that." She says. "We could round everyone up and tell them now if you would like."

"Ok." I say.

"I'll get everyone together in the family room." Dad says. "Do you want me to tell them?"

"Yes." I say. "I don't think that I can do it."

"I understand." He says. He then walks off. Mom then gives me a hug.

"I can't believe that you thought that you might have cancer, and kept it a secret." She says.

"I didn't want to scare you." I say. I then start crying. "I was so scared, and now it is even worse."

"I know, but we'll get through all of this just like we always do." She says. "Now, try to put a smile on your face." "I'll try." I say. We then walk into the family room and sit down on the couch. I don't know how they are going to take it, but I know that I need to tell them sooner rather than later. The longer I wait, the worse I could get. Once everyone is in the room, I know that someone will have to tell them. I don't really want to talk about it though. My dad then gets in front of everyone and starts talking.

"Alright, guys, I have something to tell you." He starts with. "Jessica has cancer." They all then look at me.

"Daddy, what's cancer?" Brie asks.

"Your sister is just really sick and will probably be put in the hospital so that she can get better." Dad says.

"Oh, ok." She says. "Can Conner and I go play now?"

"Yes, of course you can." Dad says. They then run off.

"So how serious is this?' Caleb asks.

"It is in the earlier stages, they are thinking that with a round or two of chemo the cancer will be gone." Dad says.

"How long have you known?" Zach asks.

"I found out this morning." I say. "The doctor thought that I had Leukemia so I went to get my lab results and she was right."

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" He asks.

"I didn't want to scare anyone." I say. "I only told dad."

"Does Chris know?" Zane asks.

"No, I'm planning on telling him tonight." I say. "We are going out, and I probably should go get ready."

"Are you sure that it is alright for you to be around people?" Zane asks.

"Cancer isn't contagious, dummy." Caleb says.

"Caleb." Dad says.

"Don't worry Zane, I'll be alright." I say. "Thank you for the concern. I have some pamphlets that talk about cancer if you want to read them." I then hand him one.

"Thanks." He says.

"No problem." I say. "I'm going to go upstairs now." I then go to my room and sit down. I then start getting ready, I don't want to look awful tonight. I need to stay strong for him. He doesn't know yet, but I need to figure out a way for him to find out. I need to be subtle about it though. I then hear a knock on my door. "Come in." I say. I then see that it's Zach. His eyes look a little puffy and red. I can tell that he has been crying.

"You're not going to die are you?" He asks.

"I don't know." I say. "Right now, I am trying to hope for the very best."

"Well, I suppose that is good." He says. "How are you taking the news?"

"Like anyone would." I say. "I'm scared, but I have hope that I will come out of this soon. How are you taking it?"

"To be honest, I am very worried." He says.

"And that's alright." I say."But, I want for you to look at it a different way. I want for you to have hope that I'll make it through the chemo and whatever else they throw at me."

"I don't see how you are so strong." He says.

"On the inside, I'm not." I say. "But I know that sulking and feeling bad about myself isn't going to make things any better. I just have to trust that for whatever reason this is going on that it was supposed to happen."

"You are so much better than I am." He says.

"No, I just have a different perspective about all of this." I say.

"Well, just know if you need to vent about your feelings that I am available." He says.

"I'm glad that hear that." I say. "I will probably take you up on that offer soon."

"I hope that you do." He says. He then leaves my room. The easiest part is over. I know that telling Chris is going to be hard. I need to find the right words, and I need to find them quickly. It is almost time for him to come pick me up. When should I tell him? Should I just wait? No. If I do that then it will just be harder later. He needs to hear from me, tonight.

After a little while, I go downstairs and hear the doorbell ring. I then open the door and let him in. "Hey." I say.

"Hey." He says. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks." I say.

"So, are you ready to go?" He asks.

"Yeah."I say. Oh, boy I don't know how to tell him the news. I'll just wait a little while. Yeah, that's what I'll do.

We then get into his car and drive a long ways off. "So, where are we going?" I ask.

"It's a surprise." He says. "But trust me, I know that you'll like it."

"I trust you." I say. At least tonight will be good, that is until I break the news.

After a little while, we make it to this park. As we move in closer, I see that it is a outdoor restaurant that is set up in a park. It is beautiful and the sun is beginning to set. We then get out and walk over to a table that is decorated very pretty. There are candles all around the area, and it is really peaceful. He then pulls the chair out for me. "Thank you." I say.

"You're welcome." He says. He then sits down across from me. He then gets two wine glasses. "I know that even though we're legal, you don't drink. Don't worry this is sparkling cider."

"Thank you for remembering." I say. He then pours some into both glasses. After a little while, we eat. We continue to talk, and I still haven't found the right moment to tell him. I don't want to scare him, or make this night awful. I need to find the perfect moment.

"Jess, we have been together for a long time. Nearly five years." He says. "Through that time, most of it being long distant, I have learned to love you more and more."

"You are so sweet." I say. Great, I can't tell him now!

"I've been doing a lot of planning and thinking about my future and I know that you have as well." He says. "I want for you to be a part of it." He then gets up and gets down on one knee. "Jessica Renee Bolton will you marry me?" He then opens the ring box. I just sit there in shock. I wasn't expecting this, not tonight. I had something to tell him, and now I can't do it.

I don't know what to do. I love him, but I don't want to put him through misery. What if I die from this cancer? I wouldn't want to put anyone through any of that. I don't even want to go through any of that.

I can't even get my mouth to form words. He is probably scared, because I am never like this. I just don't know what to tell him. If I tell him yes or if I tell him no, both options will not be the best. I can't figure out what to do or say for that matter.

I then walk off. I need time to clear my head. I need time to myself. Hopefully then I will be able to make a decision. I can't mess this up! What should I do?

* * *

 **Sorry to leave a cliffhanger. Hopefully this will leave you with some anticipation.**

 **Let me know what you think.**

 **Next Time: Her decision**

 **Until then...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: The Decision**

I am still standing there off on all alone. I feel like I am about to panic. I then see Chris run over to me. Great, now he is going to want an answer from me, and I don't have anything to give him. I can't give him an answer. I don't want to tell him no, but I don't want to tell him yes either. I still don't know what to do. He approaches closer and closer. I can feel my heart beating out of my chest. It is pounding harder as he comes closer and closer to me. He finally reaches me.

"I'm sorry, I just needed a moment." I say. I'm hoping that that will work. I don't have an answer for him right now.

"You're fine." He says. "Take as long as you need." Time isn't something that I have as a luxury anymore, I will be admitted into the hospital soon and who knows what is going to happen then.

"I can't." I say. I can't believe that just came out of my mouth. I should have just said nothing. Or asked him to take me home so that I would have time to think more thoroughly. I never rush into decisions if I can help it.

"What do you mean?" He asks. What should I say? Should I just let out the fact that I have cancer? That doesn't seem like a good idea, but I don't know what else I should do.

"I can't marry you." I say. It really pains me to say that. It isn't that I can't but I just can't right now.

"I don't understand what you mean." He says. I can tell that he is hurt. He really went through alot of time and planning for this night, I would imagine. He probably was hoping that I would say yes to him.

"I just can't." I say. I then start crying and run off. I just need to be away from him, and I don't think that it would be best for him to take me home. I need to get away from him. I need some alone time and some space I then call my dad. "Dad, could you come and pick me up?" I ask. I then tell him where I am at and within a few minutes he is there.

"What's wrong?" He asks. I know that he is concerned, but I don't really want to talk about it.

"I'll tell you in the car." I say. I then get into his truck and we drive off. I take a deep breath and then start telling my dad what happened. "Chris asked me to marry him."

"And what's wrong about that?" He asks.

"I don't want to marry him when I'm sick and might not be here forever." I say.

"No one will be." He says.

"You know what I mean." I say. "The thing is, I really don't want to hurt him. I couldn't even tell him that I have cancer yet."

"Maybe tomorrow you two can sit down and talk about things." He says. "You could explain to him what is going on."

"I doubt that he would want to." I say. "He's probably embarrassed."

"You could explain." He says. "But I'm not going to force you to do anything. I'm going to leave the decision up to you."

"Ok." I say. "I'll think about it." We then make it home and I go inside the house.

"So, how did your date go?" Mom asks.

"Bad." I say. "Chris proposed."

"And that's bad how?" Zach asks as he looks up from his phone.

"He wouldn't want to marry me if he knew that I was a ticking time bomb that could go off at any minute." I say.

"I doubt that." Mom says.

"And he really does love you." Dad says. I know, he wouldn't have asked me to marry him otherwise. I love him too.

"So, I'm guessing that you didn't tell him that you have cancer did you?" Zach asks.

"No." I say. "After he proposed, I couldn't do it."

"Did you tell him no?" Zach asks.

"No, I told him that I couldn't." I say.

"That really doesn't make any since." He says.

"It does to me." I say. I then walk off and go upstairs. He took me off guard. I was hoping to be the one with news, not him asking me something. I wasn't prepared, and now our relationship might be gone. It's all thanks to this horrible disease called cancer. After a little while, I go to sleep. I am hoping that in the morning things will be much better. Or at least a little bit better. I am not by any means expecting a miracle, maybe a small one that would be nice. A couple of hours go by, and I am unable to sleep. I finally decide to turn on my light and read. While looking on my shelf for a book, I knock over my phone. I then see that I have three texts and ten missed calls all from Chris. I then look at them. The text messages were all the same, things such as 'Hey, I'm sorry that I took you by surprise. Could we talk tomorrow?' and there were more. I then start crying yet again. I don't think that talking to him is best.  
It is just going to make things worse. I then feel my phone vibrate. Great, I bet it is Chris again. I then see that it is actually Dr. Stone.

"Hello." I say sleepily.

"Hey, I'm sorry to wake you, but I was on call and was at the hospital and noticed your results from the lab work." He says. "I would like for you to come in tomorrow so that we can go over a plan that I was thinking would work for you to battle the cancer. Would nine o'clock work for you?"

"Sure." I say. "I guess I'll see you in a few hours then."

"See you then." He says. "And again, I'm sorry about calling you so late."

"You are fine." I say.

We then hang up. I then try to get some sleep. By the time is is five o'clock, I just give up. I am tired of just staring at the ceiling. I then get up and go downstairs and measure some coffee and then make myself some coffee.

I then stand there and wait until it is ready. When I hear the beep, I get a mug out of the cabinent and pour myself a cup and then add some cream and sugar to it. I then go to the basement where we have a movie room. I then put in a movie and start watching it. My eyelids then become heavy. Eventually I fall asleep, and it is a good sleep. When I wake up, I see that it is eight o'clock. Luckily, I still have some time before I have to get to Dr. Stone's office. I then walk upstairs and see my dad sitting in the kitchen reading some news on his phone and drinking a cup of coffee.

"Dad, I have to go see Dr. Stone at nine." I say. "I wasn't sure if you would want to come or not, but I just thought that I would let you know."

"I will come with you." He says.

"He called last night." I say. "He didn't give much notice."

"That's fine. He says.

"I'm just going to go change and will be down in enough time to leave." I say.

"Alright." He says. I then go upstairs and change out of my pajamas and then put on some makeup and throw my hair into a ponytail. I then go downstairs and my dad and I head to the hospital. I have a feeling that the hospital will end up becoming a second home for me; for a while at least. We then walk into the office and are callled back within just a few minutes. We then go into Dr. Stone's office.

"Good morning." He says. "So, I got Jessica's results earlier than I thought, so I thought that we could go ahead and get a plan together."

"Ok." Dad says. "So what stage is the cancer in?"

"It is in stage two." He says. "What I am going to suggest is that we do a round of chemo, she will probably be in the hospital for around a month."

"Ok, so when will we start the chemo?" I ask.

"We can start as early as you want." He says. "I would suggest starting this week, but whenever you want to start will be fine."

"Do you mind if we discuss it, and then back with you?" Dad asks.

"Yeah, you can either call or text me with your decision and then we can decide what to do from there." He says.

"Alright." Dad says. "Thank you." We then leave his office. "Do you want to grab coffee or something?"

"Sure." I say. We then leave and head to the closest Starbucks and go inside and order some drinks.

"So when do you think that you will want to start the chemo?" Dad asks.

"You're leaving it up to me?" I ask.

"Not necessarily, but you're twenty-two now, I think that you are old enough to make some of your decisions." He says.

"I think that I want to start soon." I say. "I don't want to wait and it get worse."

"I agree." He says. "Maybe I could start Friday." I say.

"I think that, that is a great idea." He says. "We can start then, and that way you can recover during the summer and hopefully still be able to go to medical school this fall, if you still want to."

"Ok, that should work." I say. "I guess that we should talk with mom first, and see if she has any insight, and then let Dr. Stone know."

"Ok, we could swing by her office and see if we can talk to her." He says.

"Do you have to go to work?" I ask.

"No, since the school year is almost over, I can kind of go and come as I please." He says. "The principal knows what is going on, and he said that if I was needed at the school that he would call me and let me know."

"Ok." I say. We then get into his truck and go downtown to my mom's office. It is a huge law firm. When we walk in, we go over to her secretary and ask to see my mom. She then calls her and we are able to go back.

"Hey." Mom says. "I wasn't expecting to see you two."

"Well, we went to the doctor this morning. " Dad says.

"Ok. " She says. "What did he say?"

"He said that the cancer is in stage two, and he recommended that Jess should undergo a round of chemo, and she would be in the hospital for a month, most likely." Dad says.

"When will she start the chemo?" She asks.

"As soon as possible." Dad says.

"I was thinking Friday." I say.

"Are you sure that you want to start this soon?" She asks.

"I don't want it to get worse." I say.

"That's true." She says. "I guess that will be fine."

"Ok, I'll let Dr. Stone know." I say.

"Ok." She says. "I really wish that we didn't have to go through this."

"I do too." I say. "But it's just reality."

"I know." She says. She then gives me a hug.

"I'll be right back." I say. I then walk off to call Dr. Stone.

 **(Troy's Pov)**

"So, how do you think that she is holding up?" Gabi asks.

"Fine, I guess." I say.

I don't really know how Jessica feels. She has always been so brave. It is hard to read her emotions at times. I really wish that I could though. "This is one of the hardest things that I have had to go through." Gabi says. It is for me too. There is only one other thing that I have had to go through that was almost as hard to go through.

"I know, I feel the same way." I say. "I'm just trying hard to keep it together for Jess."

"You're doing a good job." Gabi says.

"I hope that this was the right decision." I say.

"If Dr. Stone thought that it would be, then it should be fine." Gabi says. "I trust him."

"I do too." I say.

"The next month is going to be very hard." Gabi says.

"I know, but we need to just pull it together." I say. "We've been through a lot."

"I know." Gabi says. "I still wonder what would have happened if we had not lost that baby. We didn't even get a chance to hold him." I can tell that Gabi is about to start crying.

"I know." I say. "I try not to think about it." We never bring up the death of Ryder. We rarely say anything about it, it hurts far to much to talk about normally.

"If we could get through that, and that was devastating, then I think that we can get through our oldest daughter having cancer." Gabi says. I do have to agree with her on that one. She seems to always see things in a different way. I like that about her, she is definetly an optimist. I only wish that I could be as optimistic about things as she is. I am more of a realist than I am anything else. I typically see things for what they are.

"You're right." I say. "You're way too good for me."

"Troy, I think that you are better than me." Gabi says. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." I say. I then kiss her. Gabi usually has a way of making me feel better.

 **(Back to Jessica's Pov)**

I then walk back into the room and walk in on my parents kissing. I just stand there and don't say anything. I wouldn't want to interrupt them. After a minute, they both look at me.

"Hey, what did the doctor say?" Mom asks.

"He said that it would be better to start on Monday instead of Friday." I say.

"Ok." Dad says. "So, we have a few more days before you'll start chemo then."

"That's what he thought would be best." I say.

"He suggested that I try to get my strength up before I go in, so that it will be easier on me in the long run."

"Ok, but don't overdo it." Dad says.

"I know, he said that too." I say.

"Well, I guess things will be getting started soon." Mom says.

"Yeah." I say. "I'm a little scared." Actually I'm more than scared, more than petrified. I don't really think that there is an adjective strong enough in the English language to describe how I feel.

"You'll be fine." Dad says. "Don't worry."

"I'll try not to." I say.

"Hey, how about we all go get some lunch so that maybe we can get our mind off of all of this cancer stuff." Mom suggests.

We all agree and then go grab something for lunch. Maybe soon this whole cancer thing will be over and done with, but for the moment, I don't know what else I can do. I don't want to hurt the people that I love and care about so much. They don't deserve that. I wish that I could just wake up and be cancer free, but I don't think that it works like that. Too bad I didn't just end up with mono, that would've been easier to deal with than cancer. I just seem to always have the worst of luck. On the bright side, at least it was caught in time, maybe after the chemo I will get the all clear from cancer and be able to go on with my life.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys, I hope that you all have been enjoying the story. My goal is to try to update on the same day every single week, just so that you guys can be on the look out for new chapter updates. My goal is to update on Tuesdays . I can't wait for you to continue reading the story. I hope that you enjoy and have a wonderful day!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Things Are About To Change**

(Chris' POV)

The past few days have been awful. I still can't get over the fact that Jess said that she couldn't marry me. I don't understand why. I even talked with her dad about it, and he told me that I could ask her to marry me. This is not great at all. I haven't been able to sleep, or eat for days. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit. My mind has been on nothing more than that night. After she ran off, I didn't know what to do. I guess that I was a jerk for not taking her home, but she wouldn't have wanted me to drive her home anyhow. She must not like me as much as I thought that she did. We have talked for a while about how one day we would want to marry each other. I was almost positive that she would say yes, but then I got a curve ball.

"Chris." Mom says. I really don't want to talk. She has been bugging me since that night. "Honey, I know that you are having a hard time, but you don't need to stay in your room alone, and not come out except when you have to go to work."

"Mom, I'm twenty-two." I say. "I just need some space."

"Fine, but try to be around people some." She says.

"Ok." I say.

I then go back to grading papers. Who knew that I would actually enjoy doing this? It beats having to talk about Jessica. I have tried for several days to call Jess, but she won't pick up. I don't want to lose her, but she's making it very hard. Is it even worth it? I then go outside and find my dad playing basketball on our court. I then catch the rebound after he tries to make a basket.

"Hey, I'm glad to see you." He says. "So, I guess that you've been keeping yourself busy."

"I'm trying to." I say.

"Trying to get your mind off of Jess?" He asks.

"Yeah." I say as I make a basket.

"Well, maybe you should try to call her." He says.

"Why, she won't answer." I say. "I've tried to call her, I've even texted her and I get nothing. I'm beginning to think that she hates me."

"I doubt that." He says.

"Well, why else would she have said that she couldn't marry me?" I say.

"I'm sure that she has a good reason." He says.

"Yeah, but why didn't she tell me?" I ask.

"I don't know." He says.

"Well, I really wish that we could just talk." I say.

"Go, see her." He says.

"I don't know." I say.

"What could go wrong with that?" He asks.

"I don't know." I say. "I just don't feel like it will make things better."

"You won't know unless you try, son." He says. "But, you can do what you want."

"Ok." I say. "I'll try to call her again."

"Ok, that's a start." He says. I then pull out my phone and call Jess. It rings for a little while, and then I get her voicemail. I then hang up.

"She didn't answer." I say.

"Maybe she's busy." He says.

"Yeah." I say. "Whatever." I then walk off and just go inside. I really don't know what I need to do.

* * *

(Jessica's POV)

Tomorrow, I will be starting chemotherapy. I don't know what to think, I know one thing though, I'm apprehensive. What if something goes wrong? Then what? I am beyond scared, but I'm being brave for my parents. I wouldn't want to scare them.

"Jess, I was going to go for a run, do you want to come?" Dad asks.

"Sure, but I don't know that I'll be fast." I say.

"That's fine." He says. "And besides my knees are a little sore anyhow."

"Ok." I say. "I'll just throw on some clothes really fast."

"Alright." He says. I then go upstairs and put on a tank top and some shorts. I then put on my running shoes and pull my hair into a ponytail. I then go downstairs and see my dad waiting on me. I then stretch out my calf muscles.

"Are you ready to go?" I ask.

"Yeah." He says. We then head outside. "So, I was thinking that we just do three miles. Does that sound alright?"

"Yeah." I say.

"And don't worry we'll take it slow." He says.

"Thank you." I say.

We then start running. We start out at a comfortable pace. I know that this is good for me to do this, it will help for me to feel better when I am on the chemo, but I get tired easily due to the cancer. After a little while, we have ran nearly two miles, I then stop to catch my breath.

"Are you alright?" Dad asks.

"Yeah. " I say. "I just needed to stop for a second. If you want to go on ahead you can."

"I'll wait on you." He says. "No worries."

"Ok." I say. I then take a deep breath in. "I'm ready to finish the last mile."

"Alright, let's go." He says. We then take off again. When we make it home I feel much better.

"I'm sorry." I say.

"Don't be." He says. "You're fine."

"But I feel bad about it." I say.

"Fatigue is a side effect of leukemia." Dad says.

"I know." I say. "I used to not be like this though. "

"I know, but you can't help that you've got cancer." Dad says. "At least tomorrow, you'll be starting chemo that should help kick cancer's butt."

"I hope so." I say. "I don't wish for my worst enemy to have cancer. It has been stressing me out. I'm scared to death."

"There's no reason to be." He says. "Dr. Stone talks like you're lucky that they caught it fast enough, and that the chemo should take care of it."

"Well, today is my last day of freedom for at least a month." I say.

"Let's make the best of today." Dad says. "We can do whatever you want to."

"Ok." I say.

"And I'm being serious. " He says. "Whatever you want to do, within reason of course I will try to make it happen."

"Ok." I say. "I'm going to take a shower." I then go inside and go to my bathroom and take a shower. The rest of the day goes by slowly. I really just want this day to be over, but I know that it won't be. I walk into the living room and see my mom looking through some old photos.

"Hey." I say.

"Hey." She says.

"What are you looking at?" I ask.

"Some old pictures, back from when you were little." She says. I then sit down beside her and we look at them together.

"Zach and Caleb look so cute in their matching outfits." I say.

"They really do." She says. "I remember when they weren't embarrassed when they were dressed alike."

We continue looking through some pictures, we end up looking at some pictures from back when my parents were in high school. They seemed so cute together. It almost reminds me of Chris and I when we were in high school.

"This is one of my favorite memories." Mom says. My parents look so cute together. It is on their wedding day, and my mom has her hair down and has a white flower in her hair. Her dress is a sweetheart neckline and hugs her body perfectly. She looks beautiful, and my dad looks handsome in his tux.

"You look so beautiful." I say.

"Thank you." She says. "I remember that day just like it was yesterday. It was the most spectacular day of my life. The weather was perfect and I couldn't have picked a better location."

"I'm sure that it was a great day." I say. We keep on flipping through more pictures and find more wedding photos. They have a lot of memories, and I think that it is so sweet seeing my parents when they were my age. They were and still are so in love. The boys at some point walk into the room.

"Mom, is that you and dad?" Zane asks.

"Yeah." She says.

"Wow, you looked beautiful." He says.

"Thank you." She says.

After a while, we put away the pictures and just hang around the house and watch movies. I know that it is going to be a long while before we are able to do something like this again. Or if we do, it will be in the hospital in a sterilized environment. It just won't be the same. Things in our lives are about to drastically change, and it is going to happen very quickly.

* * *

 **I hope that you guys have continued to enjoy reading this story. I really would love to hear your feedback, or any questions.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm so sorry that it took me longer than I had anticipated to write this chapter. I hope that you guys will enjoy this chapter, and I'll try to make it up to you. Thank you to all that are my loyal readers! You guys are amazing. Also thank you to all of you so far that have reviewed my story, it really means so much. It even puts a smile on my face. Anyhow, enjoy this next chapter :)**

* * *

 **Chapter Nine: It's Time**

Today is the most dreaded day of my entire life. I am terrified of having to undergo chemo. What if I am one of the rare people that ends up having a bad reaction to the chemo? Or what if I die? Questions like this, and more keep racing through my brain. I don't even think that there are words to express how I am feeling right now.

"Jess, are you about ready to go?" Dad asks.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I say.

"You'll be fine." Mom says. "I just wish that I could be there with you this morning, but I have a meeting at nine."

"I understand completely." I say. "And I'll be up there for the next month, so it won't be that big of a deal."

"Honey." She says. "It's not alright, it's just the way it is."

"Mom, could I stay out of school so that I could go with Jess?" Zane asks.

"That would be a no." Mom says.

"Why not?" He asks.

"Zane." Dad says. "Look, you have to go to school. End of discussion."

"OK." He says.

"Don't worry, Zane." Zach says. "I will take you up to the hospital once school is out."

"Ok." He says.

"Alright, come on." Zach says. "We need to get going."

"Where's Brie and Connor?" Zane asks.

"There coming in here now." Zach says. "Alright, you two let's get going. Caleb, are you taking Zane or am I?"

"I'll take him." Caleb says.

"Ok." Zach says. "Come on Brie and Connor."

"I need help." Brie says. She is trying to put on her backpack, but is struggling. She also doesn't have any shoes on.

"Here, let me help you." I say. I then help Brie.

"I'll see you in a few hours." Mom says.

"Bye mom." I say.

Within just a few minutes everyone leaves. All that is left is my dad and me.

"So, I guess that we need to get going." He says.

"Yeah." I say. We then get into my dad's truck and head over to the hospital. Once we get there, we walk through the all familiar doors, and Dr. Stone is there to meet us.

"Hey." He says. "I have you assigned to room 231, and we are going to prep you for some chemo."

"Ok." I say.

"The nurse is going to show you to your room, and I'll be up there shortly." He says.

"Alright, thank you." I say. We then head up the room and I get settled in. "Well, I guess that this is where I am going to be for the next month."

"Yeah, but it's going to fly by." Dad says. "And I can guarantee that you will have plenty of people visiting you the entire time."

"I hope so." I say.

"I hate to pry into your personal life, but have you talked to Chris lately?" He asks.

"No, I can't figure out what to say to him." I say. "He's called me so many times, he's even left several messages. I've listened to every single one of them, but I can't gain the courage to talk to him. It's been nearly three weeks since we last talked to each other."

"Well, if you want, I can tell him that you are here and if he wants to come see you he can." Dad says.

"Thanks, but I don't want to see him right now." I say. "Maybe once I'm done with the chemo."

"Ok, I respect your decision." He says. "I just thought that you might want to."

"I appreciate the thought." I say. "I don't have anything more to say to him. I don't know how to tell him that I've got cancer, and that's why I couldn't marry him. I'm so scared about the now that I can't think about the future. It seems so far away anyhow."

"It's ok." He says. After a little while, I start getting ready to have chemo. It seems like it is going to be super annoying. I will have all of these cords everywhere it will probably end up bothering me at some point.

"Alright, well we are going to start the chemo once Dr. Stone gives us the go." The nurse says. "My name is Shannon if you need anything just let me know."

"Thanks." I say.

"I hate to have to leave but I have to do a few things at work." Dad says.

"Ok." I say.

"I'll try to come back in a couple of hours." He says. "I doubt that I will bring Brie and Connor up here."

"I think that you should." I say.

"I just don't know how they will be up here." He says.

"Maybe they could come for a little while, if I feel up to it." I say.

"Ok." He says. "I'll think about it."

"Ok." I say. My dad then leaves to go to work. I then just lie in the bed and stare at the ceiling, it is so boring here. I then pick up my phone, I see that I have five text messages. Four from Chris, and the other is from Zach. I then read Zach's message first. "I love you, sis, I know the hospital is boring, but don't worry I'll be over there soon." He is way too sweet to be my little brother. I then glance through Chris' texts. They all are about the same. He says he misses me, and wants to meet up and just talk. I miss him too, but I can't leave and I don't want him seeing me up here. It wouldn't be the right thing to do. I then just ignore the texts, and fall asleep.

After a little while, I am interrupted by a knock on the door. "Hey, sorry to bother you, but we are going to start the chemo now." Shannon says. "I know that you probably thought that you would have more time, but Dr. Stone thought that it would be best to start the round today."

"Ok." I say. I then get an IV and then have the chemo pumped into my body. "Shannon, what's the likelihood that I will have to have a bone marrow transplant?"

"It all just depends on how well your body responds to the chemo." She says. "I think that you are young, and will be able to do get rid of the cancer."

"You really think so?" I ask.

"I do, your young and you have your whole life ahead of you, and I think that as long as you keep your spirits high, you'll make it to the other side." She says. "I've seen people come in here, and are a wreck because they are too scared to deal with the cancer and they never make it. Then, I have seen others who are determined, and do make it. I think that if you keep a smile on your face, then you'll be fine."

"Ok, I'll do my best." I say.

"Just to let you know, with this chemo you could lose your hair, but don't worry." She says.

"I'm not." I say.

"That's a good attitude to have." She says. "I'll be back in a little while to check up on you."

"Alright, thank you." I say. Maybe Shannon will be the one that helps me get through all of this. I'm scared, but she has seen kids go through all of this before and they make it out alive, so maybe I will too.

A few hours later, I evidently have fallen asleep. I hear a gentle knock on the door. It's Zach, Zane and Caleb just like they had promised.

"Hey, sorry that we woke you up." Zach says.

"It's fine." I say.

"What's that?" Caleb asks referring to all the wires and things.

"The chemo." I say. "Along with a bunch of other things monitoring my every move."

"Does it hurt?" Zane asks.

"Only a little bit." I say. "I'm glad to see you guys. So what happened at school today?"

"Well, I had a math test." Zane says. "And I think that I made an A."

"That's awesome." I say. "What about you guys?"

"I found out something exciting today." Zach says.

"You did?" I ask.

"Yeah." He says. "You're looking at the valedictorian."

"That's amazing." I say. "I knew that you could do it."

"Yeah, I might need help with the speech." He says.

"I can help, if you want." I say.

"I was hoping that you could." He says.

"When's the graduation?" I ask.

"Next weekend." He says. "Crap, you're going to be here aren't you?"

"Yeah." I say. "I doubt that I can leave, my body couldn't handle that right now."

"I understand." He says.

"I really want to be there, trust me." I say.

"I know that you do." He says. "But you're sick, you can't do anything about that."

"I wish that I wasn't." I say.

"I know." He says. "It's not your fault though."

"I know." I say.

"Changing the subject, I asked Julie out." Caleb says.

"Who's Julie?" I ask.

"The girl that he's been crushing on for like two months." Zach says.

"Oh, well that's exciting." I say. "I want to meet her sometime, but not while I'm in here."

"I'm sure that you will." Caleb says.

"I really want to, I'm not just saying that." I say.

"I know." He says.

Great, this whole month I'm going to miss out on so much. Just because I got sick. I can't do anything about that, but I don't want to miss my brothers graduation. They are so important to me, I don't want to ruin that day for them.


	10. Chapter 10

I am super sorry that it has been so long since I last updated. I will try to update again this week if time permits. I hope that you have enjoyed reading this story. I would love to hear what you guys think about this story. It would mean alot. Anyhow, enough with my drabble...onto the real reason you are here- the story. I hope that you enjoy :)

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Chapter Ten: The Perks of Being a Cancer Patient

Well, the past few days have been going alright. I suppose that they are going as great as they can especially seeing that I have been trapped in this sterile cell. It really hasn't been all bad though. I just wish that I could be done here. It stinks to be confined to this room and I can barely even get out.

"Good morning." My dad says as he comes into the room.

"Good morning." I say.

"So, how was last night?" He asks.

"Fine." I say. "When will I be able to get out of here?"

"Soon enough." He says. "I think that you will be able to get out of here in about two weeks."

"And when is Zac and Caleb's graduation?" I ask.

"Saturday." He says.

"I wish that I could be there, especially since Zac is valedictorian." I say.

"I know, but I know that they both will understand." He says.

"I know, but I really want to be there." I say. I feel awful that I have to miss out on things like this. It is really annoying. That's the perks to having cancer.

"Well, I wish that I could stay a little longer, but I have to go to work." He says.

"Ok." I say. "If you are able to come back later, please do. It gets boring here all alone."

"I know that it does." He says. "I'm sure that someone will be up here in a little while. I'm not sure when but don't worry."

"Ok." I say.

"I love you, sweet heart." He says. He then leaves. I am then all alone. I then pull out my phone. Who can I text or call? I look through my contacts. When I get to Chris' contact I stop. I almost hit the button to call him, but I change my mind. I have a feeling that he is still mad at me, and he has every reason to be. It has almost been a month since we have spoke to each other. We never have went that long without speaking to each other, even when we were just friends. I don't know what to do. I miss him, but I don't want to talk about cancer. I don't want him to worry more and more about me. I don't want to put him through anything that isn't necessary. I feel like that wouldn't be nice or fair. He wouldn't want to get involved with this anyhow. I just wish that I could wave a magic wand and I would be cancer free, almost as if nothing had happened at all. That would be nice. That really would be the best thing in the entire world. My family has been put through way too much in the past month. I wish that I had not gotten sick. That would be my biggest wish among anything in the entire world. That would be awesome!

(Chris' POV)

I still haven't heard anything from Jess. It is starting to make me feel miserable. Does she really hate me? I don't know what to think. I really haven't even been able to focus on anything for the past few days. I barely am even able to get through a class. Every time I teach anything I think about Jess. Right now I am having the class read her favorite novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I thought that she would really like that I was doing this, but I can't stop thinking about her. Every time I start reading some of the book, which she actually had given to me some time ago, I get distracted. I keep reading and re-reading the message that she had wrote on the inside cover of the book:

Chris, I know that you are probably going to think that it is silly that I am giving you this novel, but I know that you will enjoy it just as much as I do! It is a classic and I think that it is definitely worth reading even if you only read it once.

Love, Jessica 3

Jess has always been the one that pushed me into trying and experiencing new things, and of course she is the one that brought me to not only like this book and she inspired me to become an english teacher. It just makes it that much harder to teach.

After a long and tiring day of trying to teach and my mind really isn't into it, I go home and do something that usually makes me happy, basketball. I go outside and start shooting. Every time that I try to make a basket I miss. I try nearly forty times. I can't even play basketball right anymore. Finally, I throw the basketball as far as I possibly can.

"Chris." Dad says. "If you're trying to make a basket that isn't the best way to do that."

"I know." I say.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

"Everything." I say.

"It has to do with Jess, doesn't it?" He asks.

"Yeah." I say.

"I'm going to tell you something." He says. "I wasn't supposed to tell you this, but I think that you need to know this."

"Ok, what is it?" I ask.

"You might want to sit down." Dad says. We then go over to where the patio furniture is located. "I think that I know why Jessica told you no, and why she hasn't talked to you."

"How would you know?" I ask.

"Jess has cancer." Dad says.

"She has what?" I ask.

"Cancer." Dad says. I let that sink in for a second. She is dying. Is she even alright? Is she going to be alright?

"How long has she known?" I ask.

"She found out on the same day that you asked her to marry you." He says.

"Why didn't she tell me?" I ask.

"I think that she had planned on telling you, but after that she didn't want to make you worry." He says.

"I've had a hard time functioning these past few weeks." I say. "I've been trying to figure out why she wouldn't talk to me."

"I wasn't supposed to be the one to tell you." He says.

"Why?" I ask.

"She wanted to be the one to tell you." He says.

"But she didn't." I say.

"I know." He says.

"I need to talk to her." I say.

"Maybe it would be best to wait." He says.

"Where is she?" I ask.

"She's in the hospital." He says.

"She's- she's not about to die is she?" I ask.

"No, she's going through a round of chemo right now." He says. "She'll be done with it in about two weeks and will be able to go home."

"So, you think that I should wait until then?" I ask.

"Not necessarily." He says. "I just think that you need to think through what you are going to say to her, I wouldn't just barge in there."

"What type of cancer does she have?" I ask.

"Leukemia, but it is in stage two." He says. "Out of four."

"Ok." I say. "She's one of the strongest people that I know. I'm sure that she'll be able to win this battle."

"I hope so." He says.

"I just wish that she had said something." I say. "I wasn't going to break up with her over this."

"I know that, and deep down I think that she knew that, but she was terrified when she got the news. I think that she thought that she wasn't going to make it." He says.

"I still wish that she had said something." I say. "I would have been there for her, no matter what was going on."

"She didn't want to worry you." He says.

"Well, she already did that." I say.

"I know." He says.

"At least I know that she doesn't hate me." I say.

"I don't know why you would have thought that in the first place." He says.

"I don't know, I just miss her so much." I say. "I want to see her, but I don't know if I am prepared to see her in pain and hurting."

"Just take some time, and figure out what you are going to do." He says.

"Has she lost her hair yet?" I ask.

"I don't think so, but she has only had chemo two or three times." He says. "I think that pretty soon it is going to take a toll on her."

"I just hope that she will be alright." I say. I am almost in tears thinking about it.

"I haven't talked to Troy today, but from what I last heard she is doing ok." He says.

"Ok." I say. "I'm glad that she is." I then go inside and go upstairs to my room so that I can have some space to think about what I need to do next. I need to sort things out in my mind, and then go from there. Maybe I will get up the nerve to go up to the hospital and talk to her. At least I hope that I will.


	11. Chapter 11

I hope that you all have been enjoying reading this story just as much (if not more than) as I hav enjoyed writing it! I thought that since it took me way too long to update that I would update a good bit earlier than I normally do :)

Think of it as a bonus. Anyhow I hope that you enjoy this chapter. The next update will be Sunday...so be on the lookout for it. Lastly, as always R&R!

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Chapter Eleven: The Perks of Having Cancer Part Two

Today, I am determining is going to be a good day. I have been told that this chemo that I am getting today, could and probably will cause my hair to fall out. Also I have been informed that this chemo will probably make me sick. So far, I have been able to keep from vomiting, but it could also be from the other drug that they give me through an IV to keep me from getting sick. I am so not looking forward to this. I have a feeling that I would be better off, cutting my hair a little before I lose it, but I don't want to look different and scare people. I've read online that some people end up losing their eye brows and sometimes even their eyelashes. On the plus side, I won't have to shave for a while, not that I have done too much of that recently.

"Alright, Jessica." Shannon says. "Are you ready to start chemo this morning?"

"Do I have a choice?" I ask.

"Not really." She says. "Alright, let's get a blood sample and just make sure that your counts aren't too low or anything abnormal."

"Ok." I say. She then sticks a needle into my arm and gets a small sample of my blood.

"I'll be back in a little while, and Dr. Stone will probably stop by at some point as well." She says. "If you need anything let me or someone of this floor know."

"Ok." I say. "Thank you." She then leaves. I then turn on the t.v. and flip through the channels until I find something to watch. I then hear a knock at the door. I turn my head and I see Zac and Caleb.

"Hey." Zac says. "How are you feeling?"

"Ok." I say. "I haven't started any chemo for this week yet."

"Oh, well that's good." Caleb says.

"So are you guys excited about graduating tomorrow?" I ask.

"Yeah." Caleb says. "I'm ready to get out of that place."

"What about you?" I ask Zac.

"I don't know." He says. "I have my speech ready, but I don't really feel like doing it."

"You worked hard for this honor." I say.

"It's not the same without you being there." He says.

"Well, mom said that she would record it on her phone and let me see it later." I say.

"I have something even better." He says. "Caleb and I talked to the principal and he said that he would work things out so that tomorrow you would be able to see the entire thing."

"So, someone is going to Skype me?" I ask.

"Sort of." He says.

"That is basically what it is, without going into all of the boring details." Caleb says.

"That's awesome." I say. "Now it will almost be like going there."

"And you actually will get a better view." Zac says.

"That's true." I say. I then laugh.

"It's good to see you smile." Zac says.

"It feels good." I say.

"Well, we should probably get going." Caleb says. "We have to go to stupid graduation practice."

"Sounds like fun." I say. "If you guys want to come back up here later you are more than welcome to."

"We'll try to." Zac says.

"Ok." I say. "I miss seeing you guys all the time."

"I know." He says. "I miss you too." They both then give me a hug and leave.

After a little while, I start up this round of chemo. It should take about five hours until I am finished with it.

I then just lie in my bed and eventually I fall asleep. I then wake up to see my entire family in the room. How long have I been asleep?

"Hey." Mom says. "I hope that we didn't wake you."

"You didn't." I say. "You guys could have woke me up."

"You're fine." Dad says. "We have only been here for about twenty minutes."

"Oh, ok." I say.

"So how are you feeling?" Zane asks.

"Ok, I think." I say. I then get a wave of nausea. I then grab the trash can that I had put beside my bed. I then start vomiting. I hate that this is so gross, but I am afraid to get up from the bed because some alarm might go off. "I'm sorry."

"It's no big deal." Dad says. My mom then helps me clean up everything. "Do you want me to ask them to get you some medicine to keep you from getting sick?"

"Yes." I say.

"Ok, I'll be right back." He says. Dad then walks out and goes to the nurses station.

"So have you heard anything from Chris?" Mom asks.

"No." I say. "I really don't know what to tell him anyhow."

"I understand." Mom says.

We then just talk for a little while and I get some meds and I feel a little bit better. They all stay for a little while, but eventually mom leaves with Brie and Connor because they are about to fall asleep.

"Guys, we probably should get going." Dad says. "You both have to be at the school early in the morning."

"Would it be alright, if I just stayed for a little while, so that Jess isn't by herself and then meet you all at the school in the morning?" Zac asks.

"Zac, I know that you love your sister, but I'm going to have to say no." Dad says.

"I'll be fine." I say. "Besides, you need to get some rest so that tomorrow you will do an excellent job on your speech."

"Ok." He says.

"And I can't wait to see your graduation tomorrow." I say with a smile.

"I still wish that you could actually be there." He says.

"I'm almost will be." I say. "Thanks to you and Caleb."

"That's true." Zac says. "And I know that we'll be back after it is over with."

"I know that you all will." I say. They all then leave and I am left alone. It stinks, but I know that it was the right thing to do. Besides, I will be fine.

I then turn the t.v. on and flip through the channels trying to find something to watch, but there isn't anything on.

Gabriella's POV

I am having such a hard time seeing my daughter as sick as she is. Fortunately she has been handling the cancer fairly well. Today, I almost lost it, when she got sick I can't help it, my daughter is very sick. I have every right to be upset.

The past few weeks really have been hard. I just want for her to get better. At least in a few weeks she will be home. Hopefully the cancer will go into remission and we won't have to worry about this anymore. It's just hard to be optimistic. I wish that I was as strong as Jess is. I doubt that I will ever be.

"Oh there you are." Troy says. "I've been looking all over for you." I then start crying. I've held it together for so long, but I can't anymore. "Gabs what's wrong?" I can't even get my mouth to make words. Troy then pulls me tight and hugs me. "It's alright."

"I'm sorry." I say.

"You're fine." He says.

"I held it together so well at the hospital, but I am having a hard time seeing Jess being as sick as she is." I say.

"I know." He says.

"How are you holding it together as well as you are?" I ask.

"I don't know." He says. "It breaks my heart seeing her in the hospital having to be poked and prodded with all of those needles and she can't do anything about it. She has no choice."

"I try so hard to be strong, but it isn't easy." I say.

"Believe me, I know." He says. "I don't want Jess to know that it is hard on me too."

"I know that she knows that it is hard on all of us." I say.

"I just can't wrap my brain around why my little girl has cancer." He says. He then starts tearing up and looks away.

"Troy, it's alright to cry." I say. He then turns around and I can tell that he is about to lose it. I then just embrace him with a hug. We stay like that for a while. I have rarely seen Troy get like this. I think that the last time I saw him like this, was when we lost our first child. Other than that, I can't think of any other time. He doesn't get upset too often, I guess that it is a guy thing.

"I'm sorry." He says.

"Don't be." I say. "You have every reason in this world to cry."

"I never thought that she would ever get cancer." He says. "I would rather myself have it, than for her to."

"I know, but we can't do anything about it right now." I say.

"That's what makes it so hard." He says. "I always want to fix things, and make things better."

"I know, but I think that this battle is all on Jess." I say. "And I believe that she will be strong enough to fight it."

"I hope so." He says.

We talk for a little while. Troy always has a way of making me feel better. It is almost as if he has magical powers or something like that. It is beyond creepy, but super useful in times like this.

"We should probably go to bed." I say.

"I agree." He says. "I keep forgetting that we have to attend a graduation in the morning."

"I'm so proud of our boys." I say.

"I am too." He says. "Now let's get some sleep it's nearly one o'clock."

"Ok." I say. "I love you Wildcat."

"I love you too." He says. He then kisses me and we go to sleep.

I really feel bad for Jessica that she is going to be stuck in the hospital, when I know that she really feels awful that she will be missing her brothers' graduation, especially since Zac is valedictorian. I know that he really wanted Jess to be there when he gave his speech. She means the world to him.

Jessica's POV

I am so bored. I can't sleep and I can't find anything on t.v. to watch. I then hear a knock on the door.

"Hey, I just wanted to come in and check in on you and make sure that you are alright." Dr. Stone says.

"I guess I'm fine." I say.

"I heard that you got sick." He says.

"Yeah, but I got some meds and I feel a lot better." I say.

"That's good." He says. "Hopefully you will have chemo at least two more times this week and then three times next week and I'm hoping that you will be able to get out of here."

"Ok." I say.

"Alright, well tomorrow you will have chemo again." He says. "But don't worry, this time shouldn't be as bad, and I know that you can handle it anyhow."

"Ok." I say.

"Alright, well if you need anything Kyra, your nurse for tonight will help you, and if you have any questions for me, don't hesitate to call or text me." He says. "I try to keep my phone on, so that if any patients need me they can get in touch with me, but I'll see you tomorrow as well."

"Ok." I say. "How early are we starting the chemo?"

"About eight, unless you want later." He says.

"Eight is fine." I say. "I'm going to be watching my brothers' graduation on Skype."

"What time does it start?" He asks.

"Ten thirty." I say.

"Ok." He says. "I will make sure that you start your chemo before that, so that you will be able to watch the graduation."

"Thank you." I say.

"No problem." He says. He then leaves. I then pull out my tablet and start reading a book. It's about the only thing that I can do, so it beats sitting here bored, and besides I'm reading my favorite novel Pride and Prejudice.

After a little while, I finally fall asleep. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get Chris off of my mind. Maybe I should call him? No, it's four in the morning, I doubt that he is up. He's probably moved on from me. He's probably decided to just give up on me, and be with someone else. I would rather it be that way. What if this chemo doesn't work? What if I die? I don't want him to go through that. I then roll over and go back to sleep.

Chris' POV

Why didn't she just tell me herself? I could have handled it, and I would have been there for her through every single bit of it. Since dad told me, I have constantly in my spare time been researching about leukemia. I want to know everything there is to know about it. Through this research I have learned that her journey won't be easy, but I know that she will make it through to the other side of all of this. She's a strong person.

"Chris." Mom says. "It's four in the morning, what are you still doing up for?"

"I couldn't sleep." I say.

"Are you going to the graduation?" She asks.

"Yeah, I'm staff so I have to." I say.

"Oh, I forgot that." She says.

"Yeah." I say.

"Chris, I know that it is hard for you to deal with all of this, but you need to get some sleep." She says.

"I'm fine." I say. "Every time I try to sleep, all I can think about is Jess."

"Well, do you want to talk about it?" She asks.

"No." I say. "If I say too much, I might start crying, and I don't want to."

"It's alright to cry." She says.

"I know, and I have." I say. "But that doesn't mean I want to."

"Well, I'll leave you alone then." She says. She then walks out of the room.

"Mom, wait." I say. She then comes back into the room. "Do you know if she is going to be alright?"

"I haven't been up to the hospital to see her, but I talked with her parents." She says. "They said that as far as they know she is doing alright. If you want to go up there I can give you the room number."

"I might do that." I say.

"She would probably like that." She says. "But I'm not going to tell you what to do. I'm letting you decide what you want to do."

"Ok." I say.

"And who knows, maybe if you talked through some things maybe things would be alright between you two." She says. "I know that she is hurting, she really does miss you. She thinks that you hate her."

"I don't though, mom." I say.

"I know that." She says. "But you have to show her that."

"I get what your saying." I say.

"Good." She says. "So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know." I say. "I just need some time to think about it."

"Ok, well goodnight." She says.

"Thank you, mom." I say.

"It's no problem." She says. "I just want to see a smile back on my son's face."

"Hopefully you'll get your wish soon." I say.

"I really would like that." She says. "I love you."

"I love you too." I say. She then leaves. I really do love Jess, but what am I supposed to do? I'm still in shock. This is hard. I guess that this isn't easy on her either. What should I do?

I just need some time to contemplate what to do. I then grab my phone. Maybe I should call her? No, it's nearly five o'clock, she's probably asleep. I know her well enough to know that she is asleep. She has never been a night owl, and besides she really needs sleep to keep up her strength.


	12. Chapter 12

Hey guys, I hope that you have continued to enjoy this story! As always R&R. I really enjoy getting feedback! Anyways enough drabble...enjoy!

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Chapter Twelve: It's Graduation Day!

I am so excited for my brothers. They are about to begin a new and exciting adventure in their lives. I know that both of them will enjoy all that college has to offer.

It's sad that I won't be able to be a part of this special day.

I then lay in my bed. I then turn on my laptop, because soon I should be getting feed from the graduation ceremony. It is exciting, and I can't wait to hear what Zac is going to say in his speech, I know that he will do a great job.

Zac's POV:

I am so nervous. If only Jessica could be here today. She is the reason that I worked so hard to get to this point. I don't know what I would do without her. She is a wonderful sister.

"Dude, are you ready for this?" My friend Xavier asks.

"I think so." I say. "What about you?"

"I just want this to be over as quickly as possible." He says.

"I feel yah." I say. "At least you aren't having to give a speech."

"I'm glad for that." He says.

"Well, I'll catch up with you in a minute." I say. I then walk off, and see Chris.

"Hey, so is your speech ready?" Chris asks.

"I think so." I say. "I just wish that Jess could be here."

"I know that you miss your sister." He says. "To be honest, I miss her too."

"Well, she misses you a lot." I say.

"Really?" He asks.

"Yeah." I say. "She can't stop talking about you." I then walk off and go get lined up for the ceremony.

The ceremony seems to go by rather quickly. Before I even realize it, I am being introduced to present my speech.

"Good morning." I say. "Today, marks a momentous occasion for all of us. For many of us, family has flown in from out of state just to be here, to see us graduate. I guess that you could say that this is a big deal. We are graduating, but it doesn't end here. We have the future to look toward. I know that for me, I have spent countless hours determining what I wanted to do. I'm sure that if we went around the room all of us could tell stories very similar. As I look forward to my future, I think about what has shaped me into the person that I am. I think about teachers, parents, friends, siblings, but the one person that has had the most influenced me more than anyone, my sister Jessica. Unfortunately, she was unable to be here today due to being sick. She means the world to me. I could go on and on about her, but she would be embarrassed. I want to challenge everyone in my class with this one question. What are you going to do to make a difference in someone else's life? Thank you." I kept my remarks brief, but I hope that it was a decent speech.

Jessica's POV:

After watching my brother's speech, I was almost in tears. He is so sweet. I'm so proud of him and I know that he will do great things in life. Well, actually both of them will do great things. I believe in them.

After a little while, I hear a knock on my door and then I see Chris walk through the door. How did he find out?

"Hey." He says. "Is it alright that I'm here?"

"Yeah." I say. I then motion for him to sit on the bed.

"So how have you been?" He asks.

"I've been better." I say. "What about you?"

"The same." He says. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was scared to." I say.

"You can tell me anything, you know that." He says. "I'm just glad that you're alright."

"For now, anyways." I say.

"What are the doctors saying?" He asks.

"The chemo is working, and they think that I should be able to come home in two weeks." I say.

"That's good." He says.

"I guess so." I say. "Enough about me. What have you been up to?"

"Well, I have been teaching, and will have permanent spot at East High next fall." He says. "I had all of my english classes reading the same book, Pride and Prejudice."

"My favorite novel." I say.

"That's why I chose it." He says.

"Did they like it?" I ask.

"It's hard to say." He says. "Some did, mainly the girls."

"That makes since." I say. "So anything else?"

"No." He says. "What about you?"

"Well, I've been in a hospital for almost two weeks and that's about it." I say.

"I bet you've been having the time of your life." He says.

"Yeah." I say.

"Your brother did an excellent job on his speech." He says.

"He did." I say. "I'm glad that I was able to watch the whole thing."

"Oh, yeah, he was telling me about that." He says.

"So, how did you find out?" I ask.

"My dad told me." He says.

"Oh." I say.

"I know that you didn't want me to find out like that, but I was missing you so much that I couldn't take it." He says.

"I've missed you too." I say.

"Life isn't the same without seeing your smile." He says. I then smile at him.

"I love you." I say.

"I love you too." He says. He then kisses me. "Was that ok?"

"Yeah." I say. I then kiss him back. We are then interrupted by Shannon, my nurse walking into the room.

"I'm sorry." She says. "I was just checking up on you, but by the looks of things it looks like you are alright."

"You're fine." I say.

"Ok, if you need me, just press the button." She says. She then walks off.

"Now where were we?" He asks. He then kisses me again, but again we are interrupted by my family walking in.

"It looks like you two have made up." Zach says with a smile.

"Yeah." I say. "You did a good job on your speech."

"Thanks." He says. "I'm just glad that it is over with."

"I know that you are." I say.

"So, how are you feeling?" Caleb asks.

"Pretty good right now." I say. Brie then climbs onto the bed and gives me a hug. "Hey cutie."

"I love you sissy." She says.

"I love you too." I say. She then hops down.

For a little while, we all just talk and mingle with each other, and more people come and go.


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm super sorry that it has taken me so long to update, I have been really busy lately. Anyhow I hope that you enjoy this chapter. I would love to hear from you guys, so R &R. **

**Enjoy reading!**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Change is a good thing**

Once everyone has left, I feel a sense of peace. I was happy to see everyone, but it is nice to have a little while to myself.

Chris then comes back into the room. "I left my jacket." He says.

"Of course you did." I say.

"I wanted some time with you alone." He says. "Of course, only if that's alright with you."

"Well, I guess that that will be alright." I say. "So, what are your plans now that the school year is over?"

"Well, first off I still have a week left." He says.

"Doing what?" I ask.

"Teacher's work days." He says. "It's a state thing.""

"Oh, that stinks." I say.

"And I'm guessing that you'll be here?" He asks.

"Yeah." I say. "I have a couple of weeks left."

"Oh, that stinks." He says.

"It's what it is." I say.

"Well, if you would like, I will come visit you every single day." He says.

"That would be nice." I say. "But don't feel obligated to do so."

"I want to." He says. "You're still my girl friend, right?"

"I don't know." I say.

"Seriously." He says. "We never technically broke up."

"I know, but could you ask me again?" I ask.

"Good grief." He says.

"Please." I say.

"Ok, Jessica will you be my girl friend?" He asks.

"I don't know." I say with a giggle. He then rolls his eyes at me. "Yes."

"Good." He says. "Well, I guess that I need to get going, and you need to get some sleep." He then kisses the top of my head.

"I'm not tired though." I say.

"Well, I am." He says.

"Ok, fine." I say. "See you tomorrow?"

"Of course." He says. He then leaves.

Is it bad that I miss him already? We haven't seen each other in such a long time. He is super sweet and I think that I love him.

Eventually I fall asleep but I am awoken by the light getting turned on. "I'm sorry, we just needed to run a couple of tests." Shannon says.

"Ok." I say sleepily. She then does a couple of things.

"Alright, well we have you down for another cycle of chemo today." She says.

"Ok, and by doing this it will help me to be able to get out of here faster, right?" I ask.

"Hopefully." She says. "I know that everyone hates being up here."

"It's just a part of cancer life." I say.

"Exactly." She says. "Do you need anything?"

"No, I think that I'm fine right now." I say.

"Ok, just let me know." She says.

"Will do." I say. She then walks out. All of the sudden out of nowhere I get this wave of nausea that goes through my body. I then get up and run to the bathroom. I then start vomiting. I guess this is part of the chemo, but I haven't experienced any of this yet. After a couple of minutes, I am alright, and I then crawl back into the bed and lie back down. A few minutes later, I feel the same way and it's back to the bathroom again.

This continues on for a while, finally I am too weak to go back and forth, so I just stay in the bathroom.

"Hey." Chris says. "Jess, where are you?"

"Bathroom." I say.

"Are you ok?" He asks.

"Not really." I say.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

"I keep puking my guts up." I say.

"Do you want me to tell the nurse?" He asks.

"Yes." I say.

"Ok, I'll be right back." He says. I wait a few minutes and the nurse comes back.

"Your boyfriend and I are going to get you back into the bed and then I'm going to give you some medicine that should help, but I'm going to do it through an IV." She says.

"Ok." I say. After a few minutes they get me situated and I get some medicine pumped into my system. The nurse then leaves. "Thank you."

"It's no problem at all." Chris says. "I don't want you sick."

"I know, but I can't do anything about it." I say.

"I know." He says.

"The plus is that I haven't lost my hair yet." I say.

"It doesn't matter if you do." He says. "You'll still look beautiful."

"No, I won't." I say. "I will look strange."

"Not in my eyes." He says.

"You're way too good for me." I say.

"I could say the same thing." He says.

"I love you." I say.

"I love you too." He says. "I have to go to work, but I plan on stopping by later tonight."

"Ok." I say. He then leaves and I am left alone. I then grab a book out of my bag and start reading. It's about the only thing that I have felt like doing in a long time.

A few hours later, I am starting to feel better. I then decide to fix my hair so that if anyone else comes by that I won't look like I threw up on myself. I get my brush and start combing through my hair. I then notice that some of my hair has started falling out. Great! This is the best day ever!

My mom then walks into the room with Brie and Connor. "Hey sweetie." She says. I then start crying. "What's wrong?"

"Mom, I'm losing my hair." I say.

"It's alright." She says. "I have an idea. How about you get a makeover."

"I can't leave the hospital." I say.

"I know." She says. "I had already been thinking that this would eventually happen. Hold on one second and I'm going to make a phone call."

"Ok." I say.

"Sissy." Brie says. "Can I sit on the bed with you?"

"Sure." I say. "Connor do you want up here too?"

"Yes." He says. They both then crawl into the bed beside me. I love both of them so much. They mean a lot to me.

After a few minutes mom comes back into the room. "If you feel up to it, a lady is going to come by to cut and style your hair." She says.

"Ok, that sounds like a good idea." I say. "Maybe this will make the lousy day I've been having better."

"I'm sure that it will." She says. "What happened?" I then proceed to tell her about what happened this morning. "Baby, I wish that I had been here to help you."

"It's fine." I say. "Chris was here this morning."

"I'm glad that he was." She says. "He must really care a lot about you."

"He wanted to marry me, so I have a feeling that he does." I say. After a little while, a lady walks into the room.

"You must be Jessica." She says.

"I am, and who are you?" I ask.

"Bobbie, your mom asked me to come by and give you a makeover." She says. "So what are you thinking?"

"I don't know." I say. "I am starting to lose my hair."

"I have an idea." She says. "Will it bother you if I cut it short?"

"That's fine." I say.

"I think that this will look really good on you." Mom says.

"Let's hope so." I say.

"Ok, well I'm going to get started." Bobbie says. She then starts cutting my long hair. I'm not sure how I am going to feel about this, but it will make it easier if I end up losing all of it anyhow. After a few minutes she is done and she then hands me a mirror. I take a look and am not sure what to think.

"It looks great." Mom says.

"It's going to be hard to get used to." I say.

"Well, you are a beautiful young lady." Bobbie says.

"Thank you." I say. After a little while, she cleans up and leaves. "I wonder what Chris will think of it?"

"He'll love it." Mom says.

"It's just a very drastic change." I say.

"I know, but change is a good thing." She says.

"I guess you're right." I say.

"Once this whole cancer thing is over your hair will all grow back and I'm sure that it will be just as beautiful." She says.

"I agree." I say. We then talk for a little while, and then my dad and brothers come by for a little while.

"I really like the hair." Caleb says.

"Really?" I ask.

"Yeah, it suits you." He says.

"Thank you." I say. "But I miss my long hair."

"You can have it back soon." Zac says. I just smile. We all talk for a while, and then Chris comes in.

"See, I keep my promises." He says. "And I was right, you still look beautiful, even with short hair."

"Thank you." I say.

"Did your hair start falling out?" He asks.

"Yeah." I say. "That's why I went ahead and cut it off."

"That was probably a good idea." He says.

"I was hoping that it would be." I say. "I just am having a hard time with this change."

"It's better to not have any hair because of cancer, then it would be to be on your death bed." He says. "Change really isn't all that bad."

"I guess not." I say.

"Don't worry, you are one of those rare people that can have long or short hair and look just as beautiful." He says. "I really like this new look."

"It really does look great." Dad says.

"Thank you." I say. We then all talk for a while. Today, has been a crazy day. I've had a lot happen. It hasn't been one of my greatest days. I've definitely had my fair share of change and things happening, but I can honestly say that sometimes change is for the better, in fact I really think that my new hair is starting to grow on me.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey, guys I am super sorry that it has been so long since I last updated. I have been very busy lately! This chapter is not extremely long, but the next one will be longer. I hope that you enjoy! And again, sorry.**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen:

I've been stuck in the hospital for quite a long time. In reality, it has only been about three and a half weeks. I just want out of here!

"So when are they letting you out of this place?" Chris asks.

"I don't know." I say. "I'm hoping for tomorrow if not sooner."

"I know, but you need to get well." He says. "I'm just concerned about you."

"On the bright side, my counts have gone up." I say.

"That's good." He says. "Hopefully you will be out soon!"

"But my doctor is still waiting to decide what to do." I say. "I really want to get out of here."

"Well, he knows best." He says.

"I know, I know." I say. "But I just want my life back."

"I know, you will soon." He says. "I just want you to get better." He then kisses the top of my head.

"Look, I know that we haven't talked too much about the past, but I really am sorry that I didn't tell you sooner." I say.

"Don't worry about it." He says. "I'm just glad that you are here. We need to enjoy every moment that we have together."

"I agree." I say.

"I need to go home for a little while, Emma needs someone to watch her." He says.

"Ok." I say. "It's not like I will be going anywhere anytime soon."

"That's true." He says. He then leaves. I then fall asleep.

When I get up, I see a doctor and a nurse standing beside me.

"How are you feeling?" The doctor asks.

"I am a little tired." I say.

"We need to do a couple of tests." He says. "If all goes well, you can come home tomorrow."

"Ok." I say. They then start taking some of my blood. Even though it hurts, I have gotten used to the pain.

"Alright, and we will let you know the results as soon as we get the lab report." Dr. Stone says. He then walks out of the room.

I then turn on the tv and start watching something. After a little while, I fall back asleep. One of the draw backs to getting better is that I am always tired. It is so annoying, but I guess that getting better makes it worth all of the harsh consquences that I learned to live with.

After a little while, wake up and see that my parents are in the room. "I'm sorry, I would have woken up." I say.

"We didn't want to wake you up." Dad says. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine." I say. "Dr. Stone said that I should be able to get out of here soon."

"That's great." Mom says.

"I just want my life to go back to normal." I say.

"I know, sweet heart." Dad says.

"Things may not go back to the same, but at least we are all together." Mom says.

"That's true." I say. "I am thankful that I am alright for now."

"I agree." Dad says. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to you."

"Don't even say that." I say. "Dad, I'm fine, and I'm getting better."

"I know." He says. We all then talk for a little while, and I really enjoy getting to spend some quality time with my parents. I just want out of here! I feel like I am in prison!


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen: What the future holds**

(Chris' Pov)

I just got a call from Jess. She is getting discharged from the hospital in the morning. I could hear the excitement in her voice! It makes me happy knowing that she is happy. I really just want what is best for her. She has no idea how much I love her. If only she knew.

I then get the small black box that has been laying on my dresser for quite some time. It has the ring that I had planned to give Jessica in it. I've kept it for a while, hoping that maybe I could give it to her one day. I could never imagine myself with anyone else, she is the girl of my dreams.

I love her dearly. I think that I am going to give it one more shot, but how? The first time i had it planned out the perfect way, and got rejected. Maybe I should do something different? I don't know, maybe I should just forget about it, and see what happens within the next couple of months. Would that be a good idea? I really don't know what to do. What if she rejects me yet again? Then I am done for sure. There is no way that I am going to deal with the pain another time. It was too hard to deal with the first time, not again.

"Mom, I need to run something by you." I say. I then tell her my dillema.

"Honey, if you want to ask her again, I say go for it." She says. "Your dad had to ask me twice."

"Really?" I ask.

"Yeah." She says. "He asked the day after we graduated, and I wasn't ready to get married, so we dated for a few years and then he proposed again. Then I was ready."

"So it's not a terrible idea?" I ask.

"Not, at all." She says. "But don't get upset if she tells you no."

"I won't." I say. "I know that she has been through alot." We then talk for a little while, and it gives me some peace of mind. I really think that my mom gives the best advice, and I know that she genuinely means what she says.

I then go back upstairs to my room and process everything that my mom said to me. I think that I am going to ask Jessica again, but I'm not sure about when. I just know that at some point we will be together.

(Jessica's Pov)

I just found out that I was getting discharged in the morning. The first person I called was Chris, he seemed elated. I can't wait to leave this place, and be home again. The doctor did, however inform me that there is still a chance that my cancer could come back and if it does I might not be as lucky. The chemo worked, but for a couple of months I am taking a pill just to make sure that it is all under control. I'm fine with that, but it also means that it will be a while before my hair will come back. I've lost almost all of it, but I would rather not have hair than be dead.

"Hey." Zach says.

"Hey!" I say.

"I heard the good news." He says.

"I'm so excited." I say.

"I know that you are." He says. "Does Chris know?"

"Yes." I say.

"I'm sure that he was happy." Zach says.

"He was." I say.

"So, what are you going to do about Medical school?" He asks.

"I'm planning on being able to go, I just have to be careful." I say. "My immune system is still messed up a little."

"I'm sure that you will do great." He says.

"I hope so." I say. "I know that I have told you this before, but I'm proud of you."

"For what?" He asks.

"Just being the amazing guy that you are." I say.

"Thanks." He says. "I have a great sister that set an example for me." I just blush.

"So how are things going with you and your girlfriend?" I ask.

"We broke up." He says.

"Oh, I'm sorry." I say.

"It's fine." He says. "She wasn't all that great anyhow."

"I'm sure that you will find the perfect girl one day." I say.

"I hope so." He says.

"You will." I say. "You're a great guy, and trust me any girl would be lucky to date a guy like you."

"Thanks." He says. "So, how are things going between you and Chris?"

"I don't honestly know." I say. "I think that once I get out of here, things will be better for us. It was hard not seeing him for so long, but I didn't want to hurt him."

"I know, but at least you both are back to speaking terms." He says.

"Yeah, and it's not nearly as awkward as I thought that it was going to be." I say.

"That's good." He says. "You two have been the best of friends since as long as I can remember, and you two have always put eachother first."

"I know." I say. "Chris is a great guy. I feel like one day we will end up married to eachoher."

"I agree." He says.

"I just don't know when it's going to happen." I say.

"It doesn't matter how long you have to wait, you will know when the time is right." He says.

"You're right." I say. "You know, sometimes I feel like I am talking to an older brother instead of a younger one."

"Mom keeps telling me that I am wise beyond my years." He says.

"She's definetly right about that one." I say.

"I need to get going." He says.

"Why?" I ask. "You just got here."

"I know, but I have some things that I need to take care of." He says.

"Ok, well I guess that I'll see you later." I say. Zach then leaves. I then am alone, again. At least this is the last night that I will be here. I want to get out of here, but I have to wait until the doctor discharges me. He said that tomorrow they were going to do one more test, just to make sure, but then I would be good to go. I know that the doctor probably gets annoyed with me constantly wanting to get out here, but who wants to be here? I have enjoyed the nurses and everyone, but I want the comfort of my own home. I want to have a good night's sleep, where I'm not interrupted by nurses coming in and checking on my every couple of hours. I just want peace and quiet.

I hope that you have enjoyed this chapter.

What's going to happen next? I would love to hear what you all think is going to happen. I know that I haven't updated as much as I wanted to, but I hope that getting an update not too far from eachother is alright with you guys.

Until next time...


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Through It All**

Today is the day. Finally, after an entire month of being in this sterile prison, I am able to get out of here. Hallelujah! When I got the news, I was more than elated. I want to be home again. It will be nice.

I then start getting some of my stuff together. I first put some of my books into my bag. I then take out my hair brush and fix my hair. I know that it really doesn't matter what I look like, but I would like to look nice. This is a big deal to be getting out of here-not that I didn't like the nurses and the doctors- I want to sleep in my own bed again.

My dad then walks into the room. "So, I just talked with your doctor."

"And what did he say?" I ask.

"He decided to keep you longer." He says. I just roll my eyes.

"No seriously." I say.

"He said that whenever you are ready you can leave." He says.

"Great." I say. "Can I leave now?"

"No, the doctor wants to take a look at some tests that were ran yesterday just to make sure that you are alright." He says.

"Great." I say.

"But on the bright side, if all goes well, which it should, you will be able to go home soon." He says.

"Thank goodness." I say.

"Well, I'm going to get Brie and Connor from school." He says. "They wanted to come up here and see you."

"They do know that I'm coming home, right?" I ask.

"Yeah,but they want to see you." He says.

"Ok, they will brighten up my day." I say.

"Alright, I'll be back in twenty minutes or so." He says.

"Ok." I say. I then start sorting through some of my things. I then come across a card that Brie made me. It is so cute. On it she wrote: I miss you sissy! She then drew a frowny face. I love that sweet little girl, she's the best.

I then get up and change my clothes. Most of the time, I really haven't felt well enough to even get up out of bed, but today is a good day!

I then start by putting on some makeup. I then look at my hair. It is so short, I barely have any. I feel naked. I then look through my bag and find a headband that Sharpay had bought for me. She thought that it would help me feel better, and she's right it does. I then put on a cute outfit. I then get back in my bed and just patiently sit there and wait. Hopefully, I will get discharged soon.

About an hour passes by and I haven't seen anyone and by the looks of things, I won't be getting out of this place anytime soon. Great, I really just want out of this place.

Sharpay and a few of my parents friends walk into the room.

"Hey." Sharpay says.

"Hey." I say.

"I thought that you were getting out of this place." Ryan says.

"I thought so too." I say.

"Well, I'm sure that you will soon." Kelsi says.

"And if not, it's not like I have plans anyhow." I say.

We all talk for a while, and more people come in. In fact I don't think that this many people can be in here, but what are they going to do kick them out? I just want out of here. I don't care about how many people are in here.

"Dad, why is it taking so long?" I ask.

"I don't know." He says.

"Well, there's no reason for you guys to still be here." I say.

"It's not a big deal." He says.

"I need to get going." Sharpay says. "It's time for Sarah to take a nap." Sarah is Sharpay and Zeke's baby. She is about eight months old and is super adorable.

"Ok." I say.

After a little bit I am really starting to get annoyed. Eventually a few others leave and it is just my family left.

Then Chris comes walking in.

"Hey." I say.

"You look pretty." He says.

"Thanks." I say.

"I wonder what's taking so long with getting you out of this place?" He asks.

"I don't know." I say.

"I'll go try to find something out." Dad says. Then everyone leaves except for Chris.

"I love seeing you smile." He says. "It brights up the entire room. I then smile.

"I guess so." I say.

"I know that these past few months you have been through so much." He says.

"Yeah." I say. "It's just life."

"I know, I wish that you had told me." He says. "I would have been there for you through it all."

"I know." I say. "I was just scared."

"It's alright now." He says. "It's all just downhill from here."

"I hope so." I say.

"You've been through so much, you deserve to have happiness back in your life." He says.

"That would be too selfish." I say. "Cancer has taught me to take what life gives me, both the good and the bad."

"Jess, I know that you have been through a long battle that may not be over with." He says. "I want you to know that through the thick and thin, I will be by your side. I want to ask you something."

"Ok." I say.

"Jessica Renee Bolton, will you marry me?" He asks. I just sit there. I don't know what to say. He took me by surprise. He then gets down on one knee and opens up a ring box. "You don't have to rush, if you need to think about it, it's fine. I just can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone but you. You're my best friend and partner in crime."

"Yes." I say. He looks confused. "Chris, yes I'll marry you." He then gets up and sits on the bed beside me. We then kiss.

"I was afraid that you were going to say no." He says.

"Why would I say that?" I ask.

"Because you did once before." He says.

"That was different." I say. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." He says. He then slips the ring on my finger. My family then busts into the room.

"Congratulations." Zach says.

"Did you guys know?" I ask.

"Maybe." Caleb says.

"Of course you guys knew." I say. "I don't know how you guys were able to keep it from me."

"It was really hard." Dad says. "But Chris wanted to surprise you."

"Well, he did." I say.

"Oh, and by the way you are getting discharged now." Dad says.

"Ok." I say.

Within just a few minutes, I am out of the hospital and I am then back at the house. It is a great feeling to be home.

"I bet you're glad to be home." Chris says as he opens the car door for me.

"Yes." I say. We then walk inside together. When I walk in, I see everyone, and I see a banner that says Welcome Home.

We all then mingle for a while. Of course everyone wants to see the ring.

"Chris, was everyone in on this?" I ask.

"Maybe." He says. "I wanted to do something special for you."

"Thank you." I say. I then give him a kiss. "You are a wonderful person."

"Thanks, I learned from a wonderful girl." He says.

"Oh, you did." I say. "And who might that be?"

"It might be you." He says. He then kisses the top of my head.

"I love you." I whisper in his ear. He then whispers back:

"I love you too."

This day, has been one of the most wonderful days of my life. I am excited for what my future might hold. I can't wait to one day Mrs. Chris Danforth. It will be such an honor to be his wife. He is my Mr. Wonderful, and I'm excited that he choose me to be his wife.

The story has almost come to an end. I would love to hear what you all have thought. I appreciate all of you that have read the story, I'm sorry that I haven't updated as soon as I have wanted to, life gets in the way sometimes. Again, thank you all so much it means alot. :)


	17. Chapter 17

**Its sad to say that there isn't much more left in this story. I hope that you will all enjoy this chapter! There is a bit of a time jump, but it fits in well.**

 **As always please R &R I really do read your comments and thoughts :)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: For Better Or Worse**

My life is about to change forever. Today I am marrying the man of my dreams. I can't believe that the time has approached so quickly. I have been through so much within the last year and a half. First, I kicked cancer's butt, which is an accomplishment in and of itself. Second, I am in medical school. I am about half way through it, and it has been a tough yet rewarding journey. I can honestly say that I wouldn't want to change anything. Third, it's going to be hard to not be with my family every single day, but it's time to start a new journey.

"Sweet heart, it's time to get in your dress." My mom says.

"Ok." I say. I then go into the room and open up the bag that my dress is in. It is so beautiful. It is everything that I imagined it would be and yet so much more. I then put the dress on and my mom instantly starts crying. I embrace her with a hug. "Mom, why are you crying?"

"It's crazy to think that my little girl has grown up and is getting married." She says. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. I'll still be in close proximity to you."

"I know, but it won't be the same." She says.

"I know, but I'm just a phone call away." I say. Brie then comes running into the room. She's six years old now. "Hey, Brie." I say.

"Sissy, you look beautiful." She says.

"Thank you." I say. "You look beautiful too." She giggles.

"So, you're marrying Chris?" She asks.

"Yes." I say.

"So, is Chris going to be moving into the house?" She asks.

"No sweetie." Mom says.

"So, is Jess going to still be in the house?" She asks. I almost start crying.

"Look, sissy is going to be living with Chris, but you can come over to our house whenever you want to, and we can have a slumber party." I say. "How does that sound?"

"I like that." She says. "But I'm going to miss you."

"I am too." I say. She then gives me a hug. "Alright, I think that is enough sadness for one day."

Zach then comes in. He just stands there. I can tell that he has mixed emotions about today.

"Zach." I say.

"I want to talk to you alone for a minute." He says.

"Ok." I say. I then walk into another room.

"I'm trying hard to not make a big deal out of this, but I really will miss you." He says. "It's going to be weird."

"Well, you're at Stanford, I'm here still, and while we might be apart and things won't be the same, you will always have a place in my heart." I say. "You are a great young man, and I know that one day you will make some girl very happy."

"I actually am dating someone." He says.

"Who?" I ask. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't tell you, because I didn't want you to freak out, like you are now." He says. "Her name is Emily and she is coming to the wedding. She's my plus one."

"Ok." I say. "I can't wait to meet her."

"I can't wait for you to meet her either." He says. "She is awesome, I know that you will like her a lot."

"I'm sure that I will." I say.

"Well, I guess that I need to get back to where all the other guys are at." He says. "Oh, before I forget, Chris wanted me to give you this." He then pulls a note out of his pocket.

"Thank you." I say. "I will read it. Hold on for a minute, I had wrote him a note as well."

"Ok." He says. I then get the note out of my duffle bag that I had brought with me. Then I hand it to Zach. "I will make sure that he gets this."

"Thank you." I say.

Once Zach leaves, I open up the note from Chris. It says:

 _Dear Jessica,_

 _Today is the day that we become husband and wife. I couldn't be more excited to marry my best friend. Today marks a special day for both of us. I can't wait to get that first glimpse of you at the altar. I know that you will be beautiful._

 _With love your best friend,_

 _Chris Danforth_

He is so sweet and thoughtful. I love him so much. I feel like I am the luckiest girl in the entire world.

"Hey." Dad says. I then turn around and see my dad standing in his tux, he looks so handsome. "Wow, you look so beautiful."

"Thanks, dad." I say. I then give him a hug.

"I can't believe that my little girl is getting married today." He says. "It seems like just yesterday you were taking your first steps, and now I'm giving you away." He then starts tearing up.

"Dad, stop." I say. "You're going to make me start crying."

"I'm sorry." He says. "I told myself that I wasn't going to cry."

"It's alright." I say. "Today is an important day."

"It is." He says. "It's going to be hard to get rid of you. The house isn't going to be the same."

"Well, it won't be any quieter." I say.

"That's for sure." He says with a laugh. "I remember when you were born and I first held you in my arms, I thought that you were the most beautiful girl in the entire world. I also remember on that day that I had a flash forward moment, I saw you getting married. At the time, it seemed like such a long time from now, but the past twenty-four years have flown by so quickly. I wish that it could have been a little bit longer, but I don't think that I would ever be ready to give you away to another man, but I know that Chris will take good care of you. If he doesn't, well I know where he lives and if he hurts you let me know."

"I don't think that you have anything to worry about." I say.

"I know." He says. "But you'll understand one day when you are a parent."

"I'm sure that I will." I say.

"I'm sorry to break you both up, but the wedding is about to start." Mom says.

"Oh, yeah." I say.

"I'll be right there." Dad says.

"Ok, I'm going to touch up my makeup." I say.

"Ok." Dad says.

 **(Troy's POV)**

It's hard to believe that my little girl is getting married. Thankfully, I still have a long time before Brie will get married. I am glad that they are spread out in age. I think that when any of my sons get married it won't be nearly as hard as this. I thought that when she had cancer I was going to lose her, but then she got better. Now, I am giving her away to someone else. She is no longer my responsibility, but she's another man's responsibility. This is really hard for me to deal with.

"Troy, are you alright?" Gabi asks.

"Yeah." I say.

"No you're not." She says. "I can read your mind."

"It's hard to know that my little girl is getting married." I say. "I didn't know that it was going to be this hard."

"None of us knew." She says. "It's hard for me too."

"Life is going to be different without her around everyday." I say.

"It really will." She says. "But change isn't always bad."

"That's true." I say. "I'm just thankful that she's marrying a good guy."

"See, that's a great thing." She says. "While it may be hard for us to let her go, we aren't losing a daughter, we're gaining a son."

"True." I say. "I guess it's time for us to go."

"Yeah." She says. "I need to get down there right now, you two have a couple of minutes."

"Ok." I say. Gabi then gives me a kiss and leaves.

 **(Jessica's POV)**

"Alright, are you ready dad?" I ask as I walk back into the room.

"Yeah, if you are." He says. I just smile. "You know, if you want to call all of this off you can."

"Dad." I say.

"I was just trying to help." He says. "I won't be mad if you call this whole thing off."

"Dad, I love Chris." I say.

"I'm glad to hear that." He says. "I am glad that you found someone that you love."

"I am too." I say. We then walk outside to where the ceremony is going to be held at. I take a deep breath.

"Are you nervous?" He asks.

"Kind of." I say.

"There's no reason to be." He says. "Jessica, no matter what you will always be my little girl."

"Of course I will be." I say. "Dad, I love you."

"I love you too, sweet heart." He says. I then give him a hug. Before I knew it, it was about time for us to walk down the aisle. I am nervous. What if I trip and fall?

"Dad" I say.

"Yes." He says.

"Will you make sure that I don't fall?" I ask.

"Of course." He says. "You're nervous aren't you."

"Yes." I say. "I don't know why I am though."

"One my wedding day, I was beyond nervous, it was bad, but when I saw your mother's face my nerves were calmed down." He says. "Maybe once you get a glance of Chris you'll be the same way."

"I hope so." I then hear the music begin to play. This is it.

"You know, it still isn't too late to back out." Dad says.

"Dad." I say.

"I was kidding." He says. I really am starting to feel butterflies in my stomach. We then start walking to the edge of the aisle, and I see Chris' smiling face. I finally feel alright. We then start walking down the aisle. I feel like I am in a dream, such a wonderful amazing dream.

When I reach the end of the aisle, Chris mouths you look beautiful. I then mouth thank you, you look so handsome.

The preacher then starts the ceremony. I can honestly say, I'm not paying any attention to what is going on, I'm in a daze. I am in disbelief that I am marrying my best friend today.

"Now at this time the couple will read their vows that they have wrote for each other" The preacher says. "We will start with Chris and then Jessica."

"Jessica, I remember the day I first fell in love with you, we were in the sixth grade, and it was at recess. You had fallen off one of the swings and were crying, which you never do. I was the first one at your side, and I remember helping you up and taking you to the teacher that was outside with us. On that very day, I knew that you were the girl that I was going to marry one day, I just wasn't sure when it would happen." Chris starts with. "From that day on, I kept waiting for this day to happen. Years later, when I found out you had cancer, I thought that my dreams were over. I thought that I was going to lose my best friend. I knew that not matter what you were strong enough to pull through it, and that through it all I was going to be there for you. I promise today to be there for you through both the good and the bad. I promise to love you until the day that we are separated by death. I love you so much and I am excited for our future together." The entire time that he was talking he made tears come to my eyes. How am I going to get through what I was going to say without crying?

"Chris, you've always been my best friend. I couldn't imagine being with anyone other than you for the rest of my life. I am not nearly as sentimental as you are, and I know that you know that better than anyone. I do remember the day that I realized that I liked you as more than just a best friend. We were in the eighth grade, and I was working out in the gym, trying to get better at basketball because for some reason I was having a really bad season. Chris, I doubt you remember this, you helped me and encouraged me to keep on playing even though I wanted to quit. On that day and the days following, I saw something different in you." I say. "Today, I vow to stay by you no matter what happens, whether we have a bad year or a good year. I vow to love you until I take my final breath. Lastly, I vow to be the best wife that I possibly can be."

Once we are done with our vows, the ceremony continues on. We go through all the parts that are included in a wedding ceremony. Again, my head is in the clouds.

"By the power vested in me, and by the state of New Mexico, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Chris you may kiss your bride." The preacher says. Chris and I then kiss, it feels so strange yet great to finally be married to him. Once we finish kissing, which we keep it brief, the pastor presents us as Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Danforth. We the walk back up the aisle and go inside the cottage that is located at the wedding venue.

"I love you, Mrs. Danforth." Chris says.

"I love you too, Mr. Danforth." I say with a smile. We then kiss again. After a few minutes go by, I know that we are supposed to be out there with everyone else for the reception. "I guess that we need to get out there and be with our guests."

"Do we have to?" He asks.

"As much as I would want to say no, we need to." I say. "Our moms will get mad at us."

"Good point." He says. We then walk out to the reception area. It all looks so beautiful, better than I could have ever imagined.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18:**

When we arrive at the reception we are introduced, and we then go out to the dance floor for our first dance. It is magical.

"You look so beautiful." Chris says.

"Thanks." I say.

"I'm glad that you married me." He says.

"I am too." I say. We continue to talk for a while. When the song ends, it is time for the father daughter dance. So then my dad comes out and starts dancing with me.

"So, are you glad the ceremony is over?" Dad asks.

"I think so." I say. "I was so nervous, but when I looked into Chris's eyes, I strangely was fine."

"I told you." He says. "I'm so proud of you."

"For what?" I ask.

"For everything." He says. "You are one of the strongest people I know."

"Not really." I say.

"You could have given up." He says. "When you found out you had cancer, you could have just not cared and caused yourself to die. You took it on head first and did what it took to get rid of the disease."

"It's just survival." I say.

"Maybe, but you are an amazing individual." He says.

"Thanks, dad." I say.

"I'm going to miss you like crazy." He says.

"I am too." I say. I then give him a hug. Once the song ends, we continue to talk for a while. Music keeps playing and everyone is having a great time, all except for Caleb. I then go over to him.

"Hey." I say. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm fine." He says.

"No, you're not." I say.

"Alright, fine." He says.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"This is all really hard for me." He says.

"What the wedding?" I ask.

"Yeah." He says.

"Why?" I ask.

"I feel like I am going to lose my sister for forever." He says.

"No, you won't." I say. "I won't be at the house everyday, but to be fair you're not home half the time anyhow."

"It's just going to be weird." He says.

"I'm just a phone call away." I say.

"That's true." He says.

"You can call whenever you want." I say. "But I might not always be able to answer."

"I know." He says. "So where are you and Chris going on your honeymoon?"

"Belize." I say.

"Have fun, but not too much." He says.

"I'll try to." I say. "It will be nice to take a break from school."

"I'm sure that it will." He says.

"So, how are you doing with the break up with Sydney?" I ask.

"We actually got back together." He says.

"Really?" I ask. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think about it." He says.

"Is she here?" I ask.

"No." He says. "She had a family thing."

"Well, I'm glad that you guys worked things out." I say.

"Me too." He says.

"Well, I'm going to go find my husband." I say.

"You like saying that don't you?" He asks.

"Kind of." I say. "It feels good."

"Alright, I'll see you later then." He says.

"Ok." I say. I then walk off to find Chris.

It feels so weird to yet so wonderful to finally be married. I like saying 'My Husband'. It feels so great!

Once the wedding is over and done, we are about to leave for our honeymoon. I have taken off my wedding dress, and put on another white dress.

"So, are you ready to go?" Chris asks.

"I think so." I say. We then walk out to the crowd and there is a procession of sparklers. We then start walking out to the car. Many people stop us and give us hugs and tell us goodbye and things such as that.

When we reach the car, Caleb stops me. He gives me a hug and then hands me a note. "Don't open it until later."

"Ok." I say. "I won't."

Chris then tells his parents and little sister by. I then walk over to my family and hug them all. It really is going to be hard to leave them, but I know that I will be able to see them whenever I want, so that's a plus. Goodbyes are never easy. In fact, typically I never say goodbye, I say see you later. This implies that I will see them again someday, not that it could be eternity before I see them again.

After Chris and I both have told our families goodbye, we get into the car and leave.

"So, that was harder than I thought it would be." Chris says.

"What?" I ask.

"Telling my family goodbye." He says. "My mom cried, and I felt awful."

"The good thing is that our house isn't too far from theirs." I say.

"That does make it better." He says. "If my mom had her way, we would just move into their basement."

"I don't think that would be a good idea." I say.

"I agree." He says.

"So, where exactly are we going?" I ask.

"To the airport." He says.

"I knew that, but where are we going?" I ask again.

"It's a surprise." He says.

"You know that I don't like surprises." I say.

"Believe me, I know." He says. "But I think that it is funny seeing you get annoyed."

"Well, to me it isn't." I say. He just laughs. We then make it to the airport, and he has managed to keep it a secret for this long, but now I should be able to figure it out. I think so anyways.

I still have no clue even after we get on the plane. He conveniently had things planned so that I wouldn't have any idea.

We talk for a while, but eventually I fall asleep. When I wake up, I see that he has fallen asleep as well. I then decide to open up the note that Caleb had given me.

Dear Jessica,

I just wanted to let you know how great of a bug sister you have been. You are the best sister in the entire world, and I know that it will be difficult not having you at the house every day. I know that you will be happy being with Chris, and I wish you guys all the best of luck in your marriage.

Caleb.

That was very sweet of him to say. I almost brings tears to my eyes once I have finished reading the note. He is so sweet, even though very few people see that side of him. He does have a heart contrary to most people's belief.

I am excited to see what this new chapter is going to bring for me. As I close one chapter and move onto another it will be full of new beginnings just as one has ended. It is a future that I look forward to with anticipation. I can't wait to see what the future holds. I have a feeling that it will be great!

 **So this is a close to this story. It was a little bit shorter than the last one but sometimes that is the way that things happen. Again, I feel like i haven't said it enough, thank you to all of you who have read the story and for all of the comments and reviews. I truly to appreciate all of these!**

 **Thanks again!**

 **I might consider doing another story based on this if you guys would like. I would your oppinion on this. So let me know what you think.**


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